Congress infighting reaches ground level

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, January 15

The infighting between former CM Virbhadra Singh and former HPCC president Sukhwinder Sukhu has reached ground level. The district presidents of the Congress in Dehra and Kangra flayed Virbhadra Singh’s remarks against Sukhu.

Nardev Kanwar, district president of Dehra Congress, while addressing a press conference at Dehra, alleged that the remarks of the former Chief Minister had demoralized the party ahead of the parliamentary elections. Former HPCC president Sukhwinder Sukhu had worked hard in the last five years to build the organisational set up of the party at the ground level. However, Virbhadra Singh has recently declared his entire team as junk.

This would only divide the party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The party high command should take note of the remarks of Virbahdra Singh as it seems to be a conspiracy to divide Congress ahead of the parliamentary elections, he said.

Suman Verma, district present of Kangra Congress, in a press release issued here today, said that remarks of the former Chief Minister against Sukhwinder Sukhu were unfortunate. Sukhu had worked hard to bring the party out of the cult culture of Virbhadra Singh and it strengthened the party at the ground level, she said.

In a rally organized at Sujjanpur Assembly constituency in Hamirpur district last week in favour of son of Congress MLA, Rajinder Rana, Virbhadra Singh had allegedly expressed satisfaction at the removal of Sukhwinder Sukhu from the post of HPCC president and termed his team as junk. He also demanded that the entire organization should be overhauled from the district level upwards.

The statement of Virbhadra Singh evoked strong response from Sukhwinder Sukhu who was sulking at his removal just before the parliamentary elections. Sukhu said that Virbhadra Singh was never able to repeat the government in the state as Chief Minister. He also alleged that former Chief Minister always blackmailed the party ahead of elections. Yesterday the MLA from Virbhadra Singh camp issued statement against Sukhu. The MLAs blamed Sukhu for loss in the last Assembly elections in the state.Since Sukhu had been heading the HPCC since 2012, he had appointed his own loyalists as district presidents and in the organisation. The feud between Sukhu and Virbhadra Singh is likely to divide the Congress at the ground level at a time when the party was facing an uphill battle ahead of the parliamentary elections.