Kaul Singh’s meeting with Sonia routine: CM

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, January 9

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today ruled out dissidence in the party.

When asked about the recent meeting of Minister for Health Kaul Singh with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, he said anybody was free to meet her. Meeting her did not mean dissidence within the party. Even he had met Sonia Gandhi many times, he said.

Speculations were rife regarding the increased activities of dissidents within the party led by Kaul Singh. Kaul Singh yesterday met Sonia Gandhi to air his grievances.

Many Congress MLAs belonging to the Kaul Singh group have been maintaining distance from the programmes of the CM. Kaul Singh and Asha Kumari also did not attend the meeting of the Rajput Kalyan Board held at Dharamsala yesterday.

Besides Kaul Singh, now Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Transport and Technical Education GS Bali had expressed displeasure by organising a rally at Nagrota Bagwan. His rally was also attended by the Minister for IPH Vidya Stokes and Congress MLA Rajesh Dharmani.

Since then Bali has also been staying aloof.

On the first three days of the winter sojourn of the CM, the absence of Minister for Agriculture and Power Sujan Singh Pathania had also fuelled the dissidence speculations. However, Pathania today joined the CM at Dharamsala in his election rallies.