Jammu: In yet another major setback to the Apni Party, one of its co-founders and senior leader Vikram Malhotra has resigned.
A prominent political figure in the region and General Secretary of Apni Party in Jammu, Vikram Malhotra resigned from the party position and membership on Tuesday. Malhotra, a former Congress leader, was among the co-founders of the Apni Party on its launch on March 8, 2020. He was also a prominent part of the group that met with the Prime Minister in New Delhi a week later.
In a hard hitting yet highly emotional letter of resignation addressed to Apni Party president Syed Altaf Bukhari, Malhotra said “party lacks policies and programmes”. He expressed his dismay and disappointment with party’s actual work on the ground as against what was promise at its launch.
Malhotra is a popular youth leader in Jammu who unsuccessfully contested 2014 election on Congress ticket. Despite an impenetrable Modi wave, Malhotra polled handsome and was a runner up in Jammu East constituency.
He is son of Congress leader Amrit Malhotra, widely regarded for his network of friendship across party lines over four decades. Within the Congress, Amrit Malhotra enjoyed personal rapport from Indira Gandhi to Sonia Gandhi. Leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad and the late Mufti Sayeed have often been seen visiting Malhotra household.
When reached out for his next course of action, Vikram refused to make a comment. He said, “all I can say at this time is that I wanted to unburden myself, I wanted to free myself from restrictions so as to be able to rededicate myself to public service”.
Below is the full text of Malhotra’s letter to Altaf Bukhari:
Dear Syed Altaf Bukhari Sahab
Adab,
In unique political circumstances the whole of Jammu and Kashmir is caught in for a very long time, it is almost a daily challenge for every devoted political worker to ask oneself some hard questions. To be able to dedicate life to public service, it is very important to arrive at convincing answers. When there are no convincing answers, it becomes important to do some deep thinking. I am sure this must be the case with yourself as well.
As our beloved state witnessed some unprecedented developments, over two years ago I accepted your invitation to join as a founder member of the Apni Party under your leadership. You have been kind enough to offer me a position in the party.
Across the time since March 2020, I have tried my best to contribute to the organisational growth along with serving people. You would appreciate the fact that I have been among a few members of the party have remained dedicatedly engaged in organisational and grassroots work in almost daily basis.
A lot has changed in these over two years but, alas, nothing much in our party. We all had together committed ourselves to the greater national interest, we had all together assured people that we have broken away from our existing affiliations and come together to become voice of people. For over two years, we counted the ill and bad of other parties to convince people that we are the political party of future.
Bukhari Sahab, I am feeling deeply pained and dismayed to say that most of us are now tired of this. I am not able to figure out any coherent and workable policy and programme of the Apni Party. As I ask hard questions to myself, I am convinced that the Apni Party offers no promises to translate into reality at any point of time. The Apni Party, as I am able to understand, will take a very long time to be able to evolve as any sort of movement to represent people. That would also be possible only if there is any coherent policy and programme to follow.
As we have know each other for a very long time, you would agree that power has never been a temptation for me. I carry a glorious legacy where principles and not power has mattered. However, it is very important to stay clear on course of public service with clarity of head and heart. Unfortunately, that clarity of head and heart appears not even a distant possibility in the party.
In these circumstances, in interest of service of people and to secure peace of my mind for being able to keep myself fully devoted to public service I have to take this hard decision of walking my independent path.
As I resign from the Apni Party, from organisational position and membership, I take this opportunity to offer my very sincere thanks to you for the mutually respectable engagement that we had together.
Sincerely
Vikram Malhotra
