J-K's NSUI state committee members resign alleging favouritism

Several state committee members of Jammu and Kashmir's National Students' Union of India (NSUI), including the State Vice President Vishal Kotwal, resigned from Congress on Saturday alleging favouritism in the party.

According to a press release, the members alleged that in the Congress party, no opportunity is provided to common students and activists belonging from a non-political background.

"Party ideology and internal democracy are being overruled by some vested interests and deserving candidates are being ignored even after serving at various designations and levels within the party," read the release read.

Those who resigned include Vishal Kotwal, Senior State Vice president, Chander Kant Sharma, State general secretary and Kishore Sharma, Rahul Bhagat, Sandeep Singh Chib, Sahil Singh Jamwal.

They have also sent a legal notice to party higherups including Sonia Gandhi, president of All India Congress Committee (AICC), Neeraj Kundan, National President of NSUI, Ankush Bhatnagar, National Secretary and in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir and also to the election authority of NSUI.

"Our decision to resign is voluntary on our part and arises from our concern for the welfare of the student community at large and our zeal to work at a different stage to bring reforms in the society," they said, in their first interaction with the press after resignation.

According to the release, Vishal Kotwal, senior vice president of NSUI, said that his union membership was commenced by the election authority of NSUI in October 2018 and the elections' process was also announced for the elections for the state committee of J-K NSUI.

A press conference was addressed by the representatives of NSUI regarding the same and it was made clear that die election was purely based on voting and membership during the time window allowed for the same.

They further alleged that despite the already announced process, the national president reopened the membership drive in order to give benefit to his plotted candidate.

Chander Kant Sharma, state general secretary said that Neeraj Kundan, the National President of NSUI had deliberately delayed the election dates multiple times without any reasoning given to the potential candidates.

While announcing the elections it was represented that the elections will be held within a reasonable time, but they failed to conduct the election till the lapse of more than two years from the announcement of membership, according to the release.

They further alleged that they have been cheated by Neeraj Kundan and the NSUI election authority by not conducting the elections despite being paid for the membership and other election dues.

The union also claimed that in other states like Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh also, the NSUI and the Congress party have done the same thing, alleging that membership fees worth crores were misappropriated in the name of conducting elections, but no election has been held.

( With inputs from ANI )