Karan Singh’s son Vikramaditya quits Congress, cites its ‘disconnect’ with J&K

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He also tweeted, “My position on critical issues vis-à-vis Jammu & Kashmir which reflect national interests do not align with that of the Congress Party,” adding that the Congress “remains disconnected with ground realities”.

मैं भारतीय राष्ट्रीय कांग्रेस से अपना इस्तीफा देता हूं। जम्मू-कश्मीर के महत्वपूर्ण मुद्दों पर मेरी स्थिति जो राष्ट्रीय हितों को दर्शाती है, कांग्रेस पार्टी के साथ संरेखित नहीं है। @INCIndia जमीनी हकीकत से जुदा है। @INCJammuKashmir https://t.co/7jCF1CuX8h

— Vikramaditya Singh (@vikramaditya_JK) March 22, 2022

Though he had not been active politically for some time, Vikramaditya’s resignation came as a jolt to the grand old party, especially in the Jammu region, as he is the son of Dr Karan Singh and the grandson of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler of undivided Jammu and Kashmir.

When contacted, Vikramaditya, 57, told The Indian Express that the Congress had lost “all connection with the people on the ground”.

“I had suggested to the high command for certain changes in the organisation, but there was no response. It was unable to realise and reflect the aspirations of people at both the national level and in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. Elaborating, he referred to issues such as the Indian Air Force (IAF)’s strikes in Pakistan’s Balakote following the terror attack on the CRPF convoy in Pulwama, abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A, and delimitation of the J&K Assembly and the Lok Sabha constituencies.

“While I have been in favour of abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, the Congress has been opposed to it,” Vikramaditya said. “Similarly, I have been supporting the present delimitation of Assembly constituencies as Jammu will be getting justice for the first time, but Congress is opposing it,” he said, criticising the party for siding with the Gupkar alliance headed by National Conference chief Dr Farooq Abdullah.

He refrained from spelling out his future plans, but sources said he may join the BJP as his younger brother Yuvraj Ajatshatru is already with the saffron party.

Vikramaditya started his political career by joining the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in August 2015 and became a member of the state Legislative Council. However, following differences with the PDP over the issue of declaration of public holiday on Hari Singh’s birth anniversary, he resigned from both the PDP and the Legislative Council in October 2017.

He later joined the Congress and contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election on its ticket from Udhampur, but lost to the BJP’s Dr Jitendra Singh, who is currently the Minister of State in the PMO.

Vikramaditya, who completed his education at University of Southern California, is a hotelier. He is also a trustee of the J&K Dharmarth Trust, which was founded by Maharaja Gulam Singh, the Dogra dynasty’s founder.