New Delhi : A crisis is brewing in the Congress in Himachal Pradesh which is heading for the Assembly polls in less than three months because of a running feud between Chief Minister Raja Virbhadra Singh and State Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu.
Virbhadra Singh, who was told that the state leadership would stay unchanged when he met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday, has shot off a letter to be excused of leading the party’s poll campaign, making it clear that he needs “free hand” and not needling by Sukhu if the Congress expects desirable results in polls.
Refusing to accept Rahul’s advice to go along with Sukhu, in his letter insisted to remove the PCC president immediately as “he has already done enough damage to the established party structure and system and it is not possible to work with him.” Sukhu was handpicked by Rahul to head the Himachal unit, and the latter finds Virbhadra’s demand an affront to himself.
The enmity between Virbhadra and Sukhu is such that the chief minister agreed to meet Rahul on Friday only on the condition that he would attend the meeting if Sukhu is kept away.
Abiding by Rahul’s advice, Sukhu told reporters in Shimla that “the Congress is one and Virbhadraji is our respected leader and he will certainly be the main face of the Congress in the elections as being in the CM’s chair he is the reflection of the government.”
Virbhadra, however, remains firm: “Either me or Sukhu.”
In his letter to Rahul, he said, “If I am to be entrusted the task of leading the election campaign, you will also kindly appreciate to allow a free hand to me. Otherwise, it would not be possible for me to deliver the desired results and I may better be excused the task of heading the election campaign in the Assembly elections.”
He also referred to the resolutions passed for Sukhu’s removal by the PCC office-bearers, Congress legislature party and heads of the frontal organisations but the party high command did not see ramifications of continuing him in the post.
In his meeting with Rahul, the chief minister warned that the Himachal elections were going to be tough.
While Rahul is so far concentrating on Gujarat that goes to polls along with Himachal Pradesh, he plans to hold the first rally in the state at Mandi on October 7.
CM Virbhadra Singh has, however, told Shinde that he won’t share the stage with Sukhu in the upcoming rally alike in a recent Congress event in Solan where Shinde was present with Sukhu.
This is for the second time that Virbhadra has threatened not to contest the election nor work for the Congress. Earlier Ahmed Patel, political secretary of the Congress President, was summoned from Gujarat to persuade Virbhadra not to put the party into problems, but the crisis is back to square one.
The party leaders are worried that a wrong signal will go if the Chief Minister abstains from Rahul’s rally at Mandi.
