Jasleen Kour
Jammu, August 16: Within a week after the Newspoint exposed alleged financial irregularities during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress high command on Friday removed Vikar Rasool Wani as president of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee.
Former Finance Minister and veteran politician Tariq Hameed Karra has been appointed as the new president of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress Committee.
According to an order issued by K C Venugopal, general secretary organization, “Congress President has appointed the President and Working Presidents of the Jammu & Kashmir PCC as follows, with immediate effect Tariq Hameed Karra as PCC president and Tara Chand and Raman Bhalla as working presidents.
“Congress President has also appointed Vikar Rasool Wani as Special Invitee, Congress Working Committee, with immediate effect”, the order reads, adding, “Tariq Hameed Karra has been relieved from his current position as a permanent invitee, Congress Working Committee”,
The party appreciates the contributions of the outgoing PCC President, Vikar Rasool Wani.
As reported by the Newspoint in its August 8 edition, the Congress high command had summoned Vikar Rasool Wani and Ghulam Ahmed Mir to New Delhi to discuss the prevailing political situation in the Union Territory.
As reported by this newspaper, apart from discussing the political situation and preparations for the forthcoming Assembly polls in J&K, the issue of alleged scandal in the Bharat Jodo Yatra was also discussed.
While taking to the Jammu and Kashmir News Point some Congress leaders have alleged irregularities of funds during the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi in 2023.
As reported earlier, the Congress high command has already started an internal inquiry into the alleged bungling of the funds during the Yatra.
After exposure by the Newspoint, one Congress leader Engineer Muzaffar Ahmed Dar, who was one of the protocol incharge of the event, admitted without any hesitation a scandal during the last phase of the Yatra in Kashmir Valley.
“Of course, there was a big scandal because the funds meant for the Yatra were allegedly pocketed by some senior leaders by producing fake bills”, Dar told The News Point.
“Not only in the protocol, in every department, which was created for the smooth conduct of Yatra, there were also financial irregularities”, Dar, who is district president of the Budgam district of Congress, said.
“Branding scam is just a tip of ice-berg, some senior leaders swindled huge money during the Yatra”, he said, adding, “Hotels were booked on the double, in some cases triple rates, just to get huge commission”.
“Being one of in-charge of the protocol department, I asked a senior leader not to defraud the funds for the Yatra but to no avail. Instead of listening to my suggestions they shamelessly pocketed huge funds of the Yatra through illegal means by producing fake bills”, he had stated.
