New face of Cong may benefit party

KS Tomar 

It may be sheer coincidence that former AICC president Sonia Gandhi removed Thakur Kaul Singh from the post of president of Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) prior to the Assembly elections in 2012 due to the pressure of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who was appointed the new state unit chief and assigned the task of snatching power from the BJP, which was successfully done by him.

In an identical scenario, Sonia Gandhi's son Rahul Gandhi, now AICC president, has replaced Sukhvinder Singh 'Sukhu', when parliamentary elections are just a few months away to pave the way for new incumbent Kuldeep Rathore, an experienced and non-controversial leader, who has been assigned the tedious and arduous task of ending infighting and factionalism.

Following the defeat of the Congress in 2017 Assembly elections, the high command did not give the responsibility of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader to Virbhadra Singh, but instead opted for young blood and the choice fell on Mukesh Agnihotri. It spared Sukhu, who failed to check groupism and factionalism in the party.

Political observers feel that there were several factors that forced the Congress high command to undertake this surgical operation and expect Rathore to take all factions along, which may boost the morale of the party cadres to win all four Lok Sabha seats from the BJP in the state.

Rathore is likely to face multiple challenges as the new HPCC chief.

First and most difficult would be convincing factional leaders to forget their egos and dislike for each other, which had damaged the prospects of the Congress to win in 2017. An open confrontation between Virbhadra Singh and Sukhu has given political advantage to the BJP.

Secondly, the expelled leaders and workers are hoping against hope that Rathore will end their 'vanvas' (isolation) and admit them back to their parent party. Such a step could strengthen the party and the Congress could learn from the BJP, which did not indulge in an expulsion spree though complaints were received against several leaders and workers for anti-party activities.

Thirdly, the new HPCC chief will have to take care of funds as the party coffers are empty, whereas the BJP is the ruling party in Himachal and will be extremely difficult to match the resources of rivals.

Fourthly, political observers opine that Rathore should try to avoid making unnecessary appointments and take current apparatus forward as very little time is left for the General Election. Interestingly, Sukhu had changed three block and three district committees a day prior to his removal.

Also, the state president does not have much time to start preparations as compared to the BJP. New AICC general secretary and in-charge Rajni Patil, however, toured several districts to gauge the mood of the workers and motivated them to start visiting voters. 

The Congress high command's decision to appoint Rathore is likely to change the existing political equations in the party besides ending factionalism.

Rajni Patil can also be credited for submitting a factual report to Rahul Gandhi, who had assigned her the difficult task of unifying two major factions in the party.

The change of guard in Himachal Congress may not create a soothing effect on the psyche of BJP leaders, who would have preferred to face a weak and disoriented Congress to fulfil the promise given by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and state BJP president Satpal Sati to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 'Janabhar'rally held in Daharamsala on December 27 to put all four seats in the kitty of party.

Now, Rathore will have to convince factional leaders that he is above petty disputes and opposed to infighting. 

Virbhadra Singh vehemently attacked former HPCC president during the recent workers' rally at Gajoh in Hamirpur, where he accused Sukhu of appointing those office-bearers, who were not known even in their neighbourhood. He said Sukhu had destroyed the organisation and the high command has acted on time, which is a welcome step. Earlier, the former CM had shown his ignorance about HPCC's chargesheet submitted to the Governor against the BJP government. He emphasised that the new HPCC president will be supported to the hilt to win all four Lok Sabha seats.

On the contrary, 'Sukhu' had retaliated with full force and alleged that Congress did not win a single election under the leadership of Virbhadra. Sukhu made it clear that a majority of the tickets were given on the recommendations of the former CM, hence the party can't be held responsible for its defeat in Assembly or any other election. He said Virbhadra Singh was in the habit of 'blackmailing' the party prior to any pending election. 

Observers say that Rathore belongs to old Himachal and represents Rajput community, whereas Agnihotri is a Brahmin and hails from Una, which will create a regional and caste balance in the organisation. Caste factor does play an important role in Indian politics, including Himachal, hence it has become mandatory for political parties to give full importance to these factors to win elections.

(Writer is senior4 journalist. Views are personal)