Jammu, Jun 1

In a major setback to the Apni Party, one of its co-founders and general secretary from Jammu, Vikram Malhotra on Wednesday resigned from the party, citing “lack of any coherent policy or programme for the future”.

Malhotra also claimed that the Apni Party has become a “reflection of the National Conference and PDP , particularly in its regional approach to Jammu.

Apni Party headed by former minister Altaf Bukhari was formed in March 2020 in the aftermath of abrogation of Article 370 providing special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two union territories on August 5, 2019.

I had joined the Apni Party in national interest at a critical juncture of time in the wake of 2019 constitutional changes but in two years the party has lost its way, Malhotra, who had earlier resigned from the Congress to join the Apni Party, said in a statement.

He said he had written a detailed letter to party president Bukhari enlisting reasons for his resignation from the party.

It was a great experience working together with Bukhari as a person but the Apni Party lacks any coherent policy or programme for the future, he said.

Malhotra asserted that in the new political environment, Jammu deserves attention but the Apni Party appears unwilling to walk that extra mile.

I have remained a dedicated political worker my whole adult life and I will continue to serve the public in the best possible way, he said.

Malhotra is the third prominent leader to quit the Apni Party in Jammu region in the past nine months.

Earlier on April 20, Apni Party’s women wing state president Namrata Sharma and several of her women colleagues resigned en masse from the party, following the footsteps of former legislator Kamal Arora.