Virbhadra, a friend or foe?

Despite being the Congress star campaigner, former CM Virbhadra Singh has probably caused more damage than benefit to the Congress, feel senior party leaders. His negative remarks against Sukh Ram, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and Hamirpur candidate Ram Lal Thakur and Dhani Ram Shandil from Shimla are giving enough fodder to the BJP to hit out at the Congress. The BJP was sharp enough to latch on to the remarks of Virbhadra. Besides, Virbhadra has time and again been reiterating that Chief Minister Jai RamThakur is good and honest man. “When our own star campaigner is every second day giving a certificate of integrity to the CM and calling him a good man, how can we hit out at him and the BJP,” says party leaders. Though Virbhadra, in a statement, denied having made such remarks and put the entire blame on the media for distorting his remarks, the very next day he was making adverse remarks against his own party leaders. 

Better late than never

AICC president Rahul Gandhi and former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh,  along with PCC president Kuldeep Singh Rathore  figure  prominently in  hoardings of the Congress. The party is  pitching for “Nyay” as the main  poll plank  to woo voters. These hoardings put up at key intersections to catch the attention  of the public. Featuring in the hoardings are other leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Anand Sharma, HP party affairs in charge Rajni Patil, leader of the Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, former PCC president  Sukhwinder Sukhu.   Congress hoardings have come up  a fortnight after the BJP’s. Anyway, it is always better late than never, feel supporters

Shandil is ‘Purana paapi’

Congress Shimla nominee Dr Dhani Ram Shandil has earned a new moniker “Purana paapi” which was bestowed on him by former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh during a poll rally in Sirmaur. It appears that Shandil’s past, when he was a member of the Sukh Ram-led Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC), has come to haunt him. While voters might have fewer memories of his past, a reminder of this aspect by a senior leader in a poll rally was unexpected, taking everyone by surprise. Whether it will help or damage him remains to be seen at a time when the Congress poll campaign has failed to attain the pitch it was supposed to.