Congress Workers Stage Protest Against Ghulam Nabi Azad In Jammu

Congress activists on Tuesday set ablaze an effigy of senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in Jammu and accused him of conspiring against the party at the behest of the BJP to weaken it for "personal gains".

The Congress activists, mostly the youth, demanded his ouster from the party.

The first-of-its-kind protest against the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister came days after a rally addressed by some ''G-23'' leaders ostensibly to felicitate Mr Azad on his retirement from the Rajya Sabha. It was seen as a show of strength to convey a message to the party leadership.

The group of 23 leaders wrote to the interim president Sonia Gandhi in August last year urging her to ensure "full time" and "visible" leadership. It has since come to be known as ''G-23''.