HPCC chief Rathore treads bumpy path

KS Tomar

Kuldeep Rathore, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president, is treading a bumpy path due to infighting in the party organisation. However, he seems to be satisfied with his efforts to mitigate dissensions, which were at peak when he was appointed head of the Himachal Congress on January 17, 2019.

Rathore is struggling to evolve consensus on the names of office-bearers and members of the state executive, which the central party leadership will finalise soon. Factional leaders are trying to get their loyalists inducted, leaving little scope for deserving and committed leaders. AICC working president Sonia Gandhi had dissolved the state unit on November 20 last year but retained Rathore. He was given an opportunity to prove his efficiency and leadership to prepare the party for the next Assembly elections due in 2022.

Rathore had replaced Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as HPCC president as a fallout of the open confrontation that the latter had with former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his (Sukhu’s) failure to check intense infighting in the party.

Ticket allocation blocked

Rathore’s political journey from being a student leader in HP University to the state Congress president was the result of his commitment to the party. Several senior leaders like late Jai Bihari Lal Khachi and Vidya Stokes had blocked the allotment of ticket to him from a suitable Assembly constituency such as Kumarsen or Theog. He had started his political career as the NSUI chief and worked in the organization, handling different responsibilities.

Political observers say that Rathore could not get the Assembly ticket from Kumarsen or Theog as Khachi dominated the scene for decades. Besides, Khachi exercised enormous influence during the government of Virbhadra Singh, who also ignored him. Former Speaker Vidya Stokes was a force to reckon with in the Theog constituency, and hence Rathore was a victim of circumstances. Secondly, he was deemed to be close to former Union minister Anand Sharma but the latter too could not get him the ticket.

Got Virbhadra’s support

Rathore continued to work hard hoping to get recognition one day. And in January last year, the top leadership chose him to lead the party in the state. Virbhadra Singh had put his weight behind Rathore, who also had the full support of Anand Sharma and AICC general secretary in-charge of Himachal Rajni Patil, who was instrumental in Sukhu’s removal.

An uphill task

The political analysts say that Rathore needs to deliver more on the ground to create more space for himself. It will be an uphill task for him to reconstitute the state executive after holding consultations with the central leadership. Secondly, factional and low-rung leaders will expect them to be adjusted in the party organisation.

Rathore’s detractors are trying to sell the theory that he does not have the experience of contesting even one Assembly election, so it will not be possible for him to motivate party workers and choose the candidates for all 68 constituencies. They accuse him of being guided by inexperienced leaders, who need to be sidelined. They also try to undermine his authority by repeatedly speaking about the defeat of the party in the two byelections, including in Dharamsala where the candidate even lost his security deposit. They also remind him of violent scuffles at the party headquarters, which had damaged the image of the party.

Bringing around group leaders

Notwithstanding these negative vibes being spread by vested interests, Rathore is unfazed and exudes confidence to bring the party back on track again to snatch power from the BJP in the 2022 elections. He has been trying to persuade factional leaders to bury the hatchet in the interest of the party.

The HPCC chief says that the reconstitution of the state executive will be done successfully after taking into confidence senior leaders and the AICC general secretary in-charge of Himachal, who will then seek Sonia Gandhi’s approval. “The next strategy will include working at every election booth level, holding rallies in every nook and corner of the state against the non-performing government, giving a fillip to the Save Himachal campaign by highlighting the misuse of Section 118 to permit non-Himachalis to purchase agriculture land in the state.

Rajni Patil gives the credit to Rathore of making efforts to reach out to factional leaders and trying to persuade them to forget and forgive each other in the interest of the party.

Now, all eyes are on the size of the state executive and Rathore’s success will depend upon the nomination of committed leaders who will be part of his team to take on the resourceful and aggressive BJP and the army of RSS activists in the 2022 Assembly elections.

(The writer is a political analyst. Views are personal)