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Cong high command cracks whip on warring leaders

Early Times Report

Jammu, June 11: Amid escalating factionalism within the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), the party high command has initiated measures to enforce discipline and monitor the participation of leaders in organisational activities.
Highly placed sources said the Congress leadership has directed the JKPCC to maintain attendance registers at the Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters in both Jammu and Srinagar. All party leaders and office-bearers will be required to mark their attendance during official party functions and programmes. The move comes against the backdrop of an intensifying power struggle within the J&K Congress, which has seen rival camps openly accusing each other of undermining the party’s interests. Sources said the proposal to maintain attendance records was mooted after some leaders associated with the incumbent JKPCC leadership alleged that dissident leaders routinely boycott official party programmes while simultaneously criticising the organisation’s functioning.
According to sources, the attendance registers are intended to bring greater accountability within the party and help the leadership assess the level of participation of senior leaders in organisational affairs. The mechanism is also expected to discourage absenteeism and ensure that leaders actively contribute to strengthening the party at the grassroots level.
The latest development is being viewed as part of the Congress high command’s efforts to restore unity in the Union Territory unit, which has been witnessing unprecedented internal turmoil in recent weeks.
The disciplinary measure follows a high-level meeting convened by the party leadership in New Delhi on Monday, where five senior leaders from the rival factions were summoned to discuss the ongoing crisis and explore ways to end the infighting.
Sources said the central leadership expressed concern over the public airing of differences by party leaders and advised all factions to resolve disputes through internal forums rather than through the media. The leaders were reportedly cautioned against making statements that could damage the party’s image at a time when the Congress is attempting to strengthen its organisational structure in Jammu and Kashmir.
The factional battle within the JKPCC has intensified in recent weeks, with senior leaders trading charges and counter-charges over the functioning of the party and its leadership. The situation became more embarrassing for the Congress after dissident leaders openly questioned the style of functioning of the current leadership, prompting intervention by the party high command.
Party insiders believe that the introduction of attendance registers is a clear indication that the central leadership intends to closely monitor organisational discipline and ensure that leaders remain engaged with official party activities while efforts continue to bridge the divide between the warring camps.
While Congress leaders have publicly maintained that the differences are internal and will be resolved within the party framework, the latest directive underscores the seriousness with which the high command is viewing the situation in the Jammu and Kashmir unit.