Anand Sharma quits as chairman of Steering Committee of Himachal Congress

NEW DELHI: Just days after Ghulam Nabi Azad quit as the chairman of J&K campaign committee, his fellow G23 signatory Anand Sharma on Sunday resigned from the chairmanship of the party's steering committee for Himachal Pradesh.
In a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Sharma said his self-respect has been hurt as he has not been consulted or invited for any of the meetings of the party.
He added that he is resigning from the post since his self-respect is "non-negotiable", sources said.
However, Sharma told Sonia that he will continue to campaign for the party candidates in the state.
The resignation of Sharma, who is considered among the tallest leaders of Himachal Pradesh, will come as a setback for the Congress which is hoping to topple the BJP government in the hill state in the upcoming elections.
The former union minister and deputy leader of the Congress in Rajya Sabha was appointed as chairman of the Steering Committee in Himachal Pradesh on April 26.
Both Azad and Sharma are prominent leaders of the G23 grouping which has been critical of the decisions of the party leadership.
Sharma, who first contested assembly elections in 1982 and was given a Rajya Sabha ticket by then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, has been a Rajya Sabha member ever since and has occupied several key positions in the party.
(With inputs from PTI)