As Cong opposes Bill on J&K, party's MP Kalita resigns

New Delhi: In a major setback to Congress on the day BJP decided to revoke Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, the party's whip in Rajya Sabha Bhubaneswar Kalita resigned from the party over his party's stand on the government's move to revoke Article 370 and bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.

The MP claimed that the Congress party was committing suicide by opposing the abrogation of Article 370. In a letter circulating online, Bhubaneswar Kalita said that the party leadership had asked him to issue a whip but he felt that the "whip was against the nation's sentiments". Thus, he said, he decided to resign from the party.

"The Congress leadership is trying to completely destroy the party. No one can stop the Congress party from destruction," Kalita said in the letter.

Home Minister Amit Shah has proposed in the Rajya Sabha to revoke Article 370 and bifurcate the state of Jammu and Kashmir into Jammu-Kashmir UT and Ladakh UT. Congress has strongly opposed the move. Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad had condemned the government's proposal and accused the government of murdering the Constitution of India.

"The resignation has been accepted. I will not analyse the reasons now, maybe tomorrow or day after, I will explain them to you," Bhubaneswar Kalita told reporters. Kalita was a member of Rajya Sabha from Assam.