Shinde tries balancing act after CM’s tirade

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Nagrota Bagwan (Dharamsala) August 17

Party general secretary Sushil Kumar Shinde and co-convener Ranjeeta Ranjan today tried to do a balancing act after aggressive Chief Minister’s tirade against his detractors in party yesterday. The Chief Minister had yesterday termed some leaders of the state Congress as ‘black and white crows’ and had alleged that they were harming the interests of the party in state.

Today after attending a rally organized by Minister for Transport GS Bali at Nagrota Bagwan, Shinde said such things do happen in political parties. It was good that leaders are giving vent to their feelings against each other and everything would be normalised soon.

Asked if the party would go with the CM’s face in the forthcoming Assembly elections, Shinde was non-committal. He said the party would fight elections under the collective leadership and the Chief Minister would be decided by the party high command after elections. He, however, added at present Virbhadra was the CM and leader of party in Himachal.

When asked if the party was contemplating action against former minister Vijai Singh Mankotia for his repeated utterances against the CM, Shinde said he had asked the party to present facts against Mankotia and only then a decision would be taken. In the rally organised at Nagrota Bagwan today the Chief Minister’s detractors, while reacting to “black and white crow” remark attacked him.

GS Bali, while addressing the rally, said, “One should not have ego. Raja’s become Rancs (Paupers) and Paupers become Rajas with the change of time.” Bali also said that conspiracies have been held time and again to defeat him in elections but the people of Nagrota Bagwan have stood by him.

The minster also said that the HPCC president Sukhwinder Sukhu was a representative of party president Sonia Gandhi and should be respected.

Former MLA Nikhil Rajour and brother of Rajya Sabha member of Congress Viplove Thakur made the most scathing attack on the Chief Minister. He said that the Chief Minister was the real black sheep in the Congress and works for his loyalists. Sukhwinder Sukhu praised GS Bali for the work he had done in the department headed by him and in the Nagrota Bagwan constituency. He said that GS Bali was the future of party politics in the state.

Ruma Koundal, Zila Parishad member from Jawalamukhi, said that she and other Zila Parishad members belonging to the OBC community were discriminated by the party.

Ranjeeta Rajan, co-convener of the party in state, said there was no space for self in party. “I have been listening to the speeches of party leaders in various parts of the state and it seems that some leaders are putting self over party,” she said. Sources said Shinde had convened a meeting between Bali and Virbhadra this morning. However, the meeting did not prove productive.

Bali stands by Sukhu 

GS Bali said HPCC president Sukhwinder Sukhu was a representative of party president Sonia Gandhi and should be respected. 

Sukhu reciprocates   

Sukhwinder Sukhu, while addressing the rally, praised GS Bali for the work he had done in the department headed by him and in the Nagrota Bagwan constituency. He said Bali was the future of party politics in the state.