Sukhwinder Sukhu tries to broker peace between warring Congress factions in Dharamsala

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, April 4

Former HPCC president Sukhwinder Sukhu today tried to break ice between factions of Congress ahead of the Dharamsala MC elections. Sukhu, who is also in charge of Congress for the local body poll in Dharamsala, campaigned in the ward of former Mayor Davinder Jaggi.

Jaggi is not having cordial relations with the former Congress minister and AICC secretary Sudhir Sharma. Sharma, who is calling shots in Dharamsala MC polls on behalf of the Congress, has not campaigned for Jaggi and some of his associates who are contesting elections. Jaggi and his associates were also not using the photos of Sudhir Sharma in their campaigning material. Sukhu was the first senior Congress leader to visit and campaign for Jaggi.

Sources here said that Sukhu has tried to broker peace between Sudhir Sharma and the outgoing Mayor of Dharamsala.

When asked, Sukhu said there was no factionalism in Congress party. The party would not repeat but improve its 2015 performance in Dharamsala MC when it won 14 out of 17 wards.

He alleged that the BJP has not done anything worthwhile for Dharamsala in the last three years. Even the projects that were completed during the stint of the Congress government such as war museum have not been inaugurated. The ropeway project to connect Dharamsala with McLeodganj, which was started during the stint of the Congress government, is yet to be completed.

“The people of Dharamsala are suffering on account of rampant corruption in Dharamsala MC. People have made vigilance complaints and some officials were caught red-handed while accepting bribe. They are yet to be shifted from Dharamsala”, Sukhu alleged.

Sukhu said during the stint of the previous Congress government when Sudhir Sharma was minister for town and country planning rapid progress was made in the city. The Smart City project was brought to the town during the Congress rule. The present government has not been able to even spend the money lying under the project.

Sukhu also alleged that the people were reeling under unprecedented price rise and unemployment. The economy of the state has been damaged by the BJP governments, he said