Self-respect is non-negotiable: Anand Sharma quits as head of party's steering committee in Himachal

New Delhi, Aug 21: Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma on Sunday said he was resigning as chief of Himachal Pradesh unit days after a similar move in its Jammu and Kashmir unit, led by veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Sharma, in a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, is learnt to have said that his self-respect is "non-negotiable" and he has resigned from the post.

Sharma has told the Congress chief that he has been ignored in the consultation process. However, he told Gandhi that he will continue to campaign for the party candidates in the state.

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 The grouping comprising prominent veterans including Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Manish Tewari has been insisting on genuine elections right from the block up to the CWC level.

Sharma, who is considered among the tallest leaders of Himachal Pradesh, has reportedly told the Congress president in his letter that his self-respect has been hurt as he has not been consulted or invited for any of the meetings of the party.

The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP in Himachal Pradesh in assembly polls slated later this year.

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.