JAMMU, May 21 — Will Mr Mohd Shafi Qureshi, a former Governor and Union Minister, succeed in resurrecting the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir from ashes?

This question is being debated within and outside the Congress circles in the state after Mr Qureshi was recently installed as the PCC Chief, Mr Qureshi had headed the PCC nearly 14 years ago.

The situation for the state unit of the Congress has totally changed during the past 15 years. First, the ongoing militancy had relegated the Congress in the Kashmir valley to almost a nonentity and those who continue to keep the Congress flag flying have been plagued by groupism. Secondly, a large number of senior partymen have left the organisation.

Though many senior party leaders are still able to wield influence among people, they have made themselves “toothless” because of factionalism. Among those who still count in the Congress include Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, Mr Janak Raj Gupta, Mr Ghulam Rasool Kar, Peerzada Mohd Sayed, Mr Taj Mohiuddin, Mr Dharam Pal Sharma, Mr Madan Lal Sharma, Mr Yash Pal Khajuria, Mr Yogesh Sawhney, Mr Raman Bhalla and others. The only tragedy is that these leaders, alongwith their supporters, have formed their groups within the organisation.

It has been there for the past 10 years and the organisation has been plagued by the war between the loyalists and the dissidents. The sides changed with the change in the PCC leadership.

During all these years the party high command failed to infuse discipline in the PCC. One reason for it is attributed to the machinations of Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, former AICC General Secretary, who has remained close to all the Congress chiefs and kept his group intact in the state to enjoy the upper hand. It was he who opposed Mr Ghulam Rasool Kar when he was the PCC chief during the most difficult period in the state from 1990 to 1995. When Mr Mohd Aslam was installed the PCC chief with Mufti Mohd Sayeed’s support, the Azad group felt slighted. However, Mr Aslam joined the Azad camp after Mufti Mohd Sayeed quit the Congress to form the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

When the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, finally cast her dice in favour of Mr Mohd Shafi Qureshi, at the behest of Mr Ahmed Patel, Mr Aslam tried his best to save his chair. He lost the battle despite lobbying by Mr Azad because an old rival of Mr Qureshi, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, mobilised his group to support Mr Qureshi’s candidature.