“They fought like rogues”
SRINAGAR: Workers of the Congress party have exchanged blows with each other during a meeting in Kashmir capital Srinagar.
The meet was chaired by Ambika Soni, General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee and in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir, at Circuit House.
A journalist present there told FreePress that the workers belonging to the factions of Union Health minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad and J&K President of the congress, Prof Saifuddin Soz, used expletives, threw punches and hurled furniture at each other.
They also raised slogans in favour of their respective leaders, he said.
The journalist said workers, from various districts, in general complained to Ms Soni about the apathy of the government, which their party runs in coalition with the National Conference.
The workers told Ms Soni that “While the National Conference was running the whole show, the Congress Minister did not bother to take care of their own workers.”
But trouble started when some workers questioned the silence of Azad on important issues and said that only Prof Soz issued a statement each time it was needed.
This infuriated Soz loyalists and they exchanged heated words which in no time turned into a brawl. The journalist said Ms Soni had a tough time in pacifying the workers, who, according to him, “fought like rogues”.
There are also reports of an earlier fighting session at the meeting. Local agencies reported that senior minister, Taj Mohiuddin allegedly slapped his senior colleague, Ghulam Nabi Monga.
Azad and Soz are known to be rivals. Azad’s supporters accuse Soz of nourishing the ambition of becoming the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, which the latter has never talked about much.
Ms Soni then addressed the workers and said she was sad that “I had to see this scene”.
“Did I come from Delhi to see this? What is this Soz and Azad factionalism?,” she told them. “We have to be one, only then will we win elections.”
