War Of Words Heats Up In Himachal Congress

By: Feb 24th, 2018 12:33 am

Political Analysis

Himachal This Week

War of words has once again intensified between former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Recent allegations and counter allegations have raised political temperature in Himachal Congress ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha elections due in 2019. Accusing the HPCC president of weakening the party, former chief minister Virbhadra Singh threatened to stay away from campaigning for Lok Sabha elections if the party’s present organsiational set up was not changed. It is impossible to win even one Lok Sabha seat under the leadership of Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, he further added.

Former chief minister alleged that organization’s speciality was to oust Virbhadra supporters. Sukhu couldn’t have opened account in Hamirpur district during recent assembly elections on his own, he said and added that Congress won three seats from here on the development plank. Virbhadra stressed that party’s organisation should be democratically constituted. A day after Virbhadra Singh fired these salvos, HPCC president too came up with a strong rebuttal by saying that “Virbhadra is a respected leader but tells lies. “Virbhadra Singh failed to repeat Congress government even once despite remaining chief minister for six terms,” he added. Describing Virbhadra as a power-driven politician, Sukhu accused that former chief minister always tried to strengthen himself and not the party.

Sukhu further said that Virbhadra never analysed as to how the BJP came to power in Himachal in 1998. It was because of former chief minister’s ego that Cabinet minister Anil Sharma, associate MLA Balbir Singh, former minister VS Mankotia and former Mayor of Shimla Municipal Corporation Madhu Sood and others left the party. Sukhu further accused that Virbhadra has been pursuing the policy of opposition; be it against former chief minister Ram Lal Thakur, former Union minister Sukh Ram, senior party leaders Anand Sharma, Vidya Stokes and others. Political observers feel that intra-party wranglings had an adverse impact on Congress’s poll prospects in the recently held state assembly elections and it also doesn’t augur well for the party in upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Congress leaders must sink their differences in the run up to upcoming elections, they add.

It is impossible to win even one Lok Sabha seat under the leadership of HPCC president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu

-Virbhadra Singh, Former Chief Minister

Virbhadra Singh failed to repeat the Congress government even once despite remaining chief minister for six terms

-Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, HPCC President


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