5-time Congress MLA Ram Lal Thakur resigns as HPCC vice-prez

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 16

Five-time Congress MLA Ram Lal Thakur resigned from the post of vice-president of the HPCC today. He was reportedly unhappy with the handling of party affairs in the state.

Ram Lal (71), sitting Naina Devi MLA in Bilaspur district, was reportedly upset over undue interference and the appointment of office-bearers in the party. He said, “I am a dedicated party soldier and will continue to work for it. I have sent my resignation from the post of vice-president of the HPCC to Sonia Gandhi and Himachal Congress president Pratibha Singh. I will, however, continue to function as the chairman of the election management committee, a responsibility given to me by Sonia Gandhi.”

Was unhappy with handling of party affairs

• Five-time Naina Devi MLA Ram Lal Thakur was unhappy with handling of party affairs
• He had been Cabinet minister in Congress governments headed by Virbhadra Singh
• He said he was not keen to fight the forthcoming Assembly elections

He said that if the party wants, he would not contest the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections. For him being elected as an MLA was not everything. He added that though the working committee and the screening committee had recommended that all sitting MLAs be given ticket, he was not too keen to fight elections.

Ram Lal said, “What is happening in the party is suicidal. The manner in which everyone is talking on a different tangent is not in the party’s interest. The state executive of the party has 275 office-bearers, as people are managing appointments using their connections at the Centre or in the state. I have resigned from the party post, as it was deliberated at the Chintan Shivir in Rajasthan that senior leaders should step down to pave the way for young leadership. However, no one in the party has done so.”

He said, “I am not keen to contest the Assembly elections but if the party leadership asks me to contest, I will do so.”

Ram Lal’s resignation does not augur well for the party, especially amid speculation of some more Congress MLAs were preparing to join the BJP. The Congress had suffered a setback last month when two of its MLAs, namely Lakhwinder Rana from Nalagarh in Solan and Pawan Kajal from Kangra, joined the BJP.

Ram Lal is a five-time MLA from Naina Devi in Bilaspur district. He had been a Cabinet minister in previous Congress governments headed by Virbhadra Singh. He had been Forest Minister and Health Minister.

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