On the pattern of neighbouring Punjab, the Congress party in Jammu and Kashmir has plunged into crisis with several loyalists of Ghulam Nabi Azad revolting against the PCC chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir and resigning from their organisational posts.

Mir on Wednesday warned of disciplinary action against those party activists who have indulged in “indiscipline” by going to the media instead of seeking resolution of their grievances on the proper party forum.

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Resignation of the two Vice-Presidents of PCC, GM Saroori and Ghulam Nabi Monga along with a couple of former legislators and office bearers has rocked the Congress that was already witnessing a cold war between the Mir and Azad camps. The Azad loyalists had in the past also made vain attempts to dislodge Mir.

The development has come when Azad was in J&K addressing rallies in rural areas. Party sources said that Azad has not informed the PCC about his program of addressing a series of rallies in his home district.

Mir told The Statesman that he was unaware of the contents of the letter that Azad loyalists have sent to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and the party’s J&K in-charge Rajni Patil.

Those close to Mir claimed that during the recent Diwali Milan organised by Azad here, the letter had been prepared and was got signed after the party was over.

Mir camp said that the Azad loyalists were behaving like the dissident G-23 group that was in the habit of leaking every party-related development to the media.

It is learnt that Azad loyalist former legislator and PCC Vice-President GM Saroori was leading the dissidents against Mir.

The development has come ahead of the assembly election that is expected to be held after the delimitation commission submits its report.

It is learnt that Azad loyalists have taken the step to express their annoyance over the PCC chief “not involving them in party decisions”.

Some former ministers were also among the signatories of the resignation letter. They include Saroori, Jugal Kishore Sharma, Waqar Rasool, Manohar Lal Sharma, and Ghulam Nabi Monga.

The name of two Azad loyalists, Tara Chand, former deputy chief minister, and Yogesh Sawhney, former minister, was not in the letter.

The dissidents have warned that the party was heading towards the worst period as several senior activists have already joined other political parties.

They have sought that Mir should immediately be dislodged from the post of PCC chief to save the party from being doomed in the assembly elections.