Vikramaditya Singh, 57, is the son of veteran Congress leader Karan Singh, and grandson of former Jammu & Kashmir ruler Maharaja Hari Singh. He joined Congress from the PDP in 2018.
Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh on Tuesday resigned from the party “with immediate effect”, saying the Congress was unable to reflect the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Singh, who is the son of veteran Congress leader, Dr. Karan Singh, and grandson of former Jammu & Kashmir ruler Maharaja Hari Singh, has not spelt out his next move. He said he will take some time before weighing his options.
“I hereby tender my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress (INC) with immediate effect. It is my belief that the INC is unable to realise and reflect the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Singh said in a brief letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh on Tuesday resigned from the party “with immediate effect”, saying the Congress was unable to reflect the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Singh, who is the son of veteran Congress leader, Dr Karan Singh, and grandson of former Jammu & Kashmir ruler Maharaja Hari Singh, has not spelt out his next move. He said he will take some time before weighing his options.
“I hereby tender my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress (INC) with immediate effect. It is my belief that the INC is unable to realise and reflect the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Singh said in a brief letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
He also put out the letter on Twitter, saying his “position on critical issues vis-à-vis Jammu & Kashmir which reflect national interests do not align with that of the Congress Party”.
“@INCIndia remains disconnected with ground realities,” the 57-year-old, who contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Udhampur constituency on a Congress ticket, and lost to BJP’s Jitendra Singh. Singh was earlier with the Mufti Mehbooba-led People’s Democratic Party in 2015.
Vikramaditya Singh told reporters that Congress was unable to make the necessary organisational and other changes to keep up with the emerging scenarios not only in J&K but also at the national level.
Vikramaditya Singh underlined that he has openly expressed his views on multiple issues after joining the Congress in 2018, even when they were not in line with Congress’s position.
These include his views on the Balakote airstrikes targeting terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, revocation of Article 370 & 35A, carving out Ladakh as a union territory out of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, condemnation of the Gupkar Alliance, re-empowerment of village defence committees (VDC’s) in J&K, and support for the delimitation process and draft among others.
Singh said that he has always stood by what he believes is in the best interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and especially keeping in mind the larger national interest.
“India is a rapidly evolving country and if the leadership and party are not dynamic and willing to adapt to the changing public sentiments and aspirations, it is only a matter of time before it fades away,” Singh said in his searing analysis of the state of affairs in the Congress.
Asked if he was going to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, Singh said that he will take some time and was weighing his options.
Vikramaditya Singh was among the first Congress leaders in Jammu province to welcome the constitutional amendment to end Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, describing the move as the beginning of a new era of equality, development and progress for the people in union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. To be sure, he did underline that he hoped for restoration of full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir.
