Factionalism in Himachal Congress to fore again

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 3

The Congress is preparing a road map to take on the BJP in the forthcoming Assembly elections. However, resentment over preference being given to loyalists by ignoring loyalty to the party in the appointment of office-bearers was evident at meetings held here to discuss the decisions taken at the Nav Chintan Shivir at Udaipur.

Ten MLAs, including Sukhu, skip meetings

• HPCC president Pratibha Singh held meetings with party leaders and MLAs to apprise them of the decisions taken at the Chintan Shivir at Udaipur
• MLAs Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Asha Kumari, Pawan Kajal, Jagat Singh Negi, Rohit Thakur, Anirudh Singh, Lakhwinder Rana, Sanjay Awasthy, Sunder Thakur and Sanjay Raizada, skipped important meetings
• The meetings held to galvanise cadres for the forthcoming Assembly elections witnessed leaders expressing resentment over preference being given to loyalists in allocation of party posts
• As many as 17 office-bearers belong to the Jubbal-Kotkhai constituency in Shimla alone. Also, seven of the 41 Congress secretaries belong to the Rohru Assembly segment

In the past two days, HPCC president Pratibha Singh held a series of meetings with the presidents of the Block Congress Committees (BCC), District Congress Committees (DCC), state officer-bearers and MLAs at the party headquarters here. She apprised them of the decisions taken at the Chintan Shivir at Udaipur in Rajasthan and to gear up party cadres for the Assembly elections due later this year.

The absence of at least 10 MLAs, namely Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Asha Kumari, Pawan Kajal, Jagat Singh Negi, Rohit Thakur, Anirudh Singh, Lakhwinder Rana, Sanjay Awasthy, Sunder Thakur and Sanjay Raizada, from the important meetings has yet again raised the issue of deep-set factionalism in the Congress. The absence of Sukhu, who is chairman of the Congress Campaign Committee, indicates that all is not well in the party. His differences with former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh is no secret and the fact that he does not enjoy a good rapport with Pratibha Singh as well does not augur well for the party, especially in the election year.

While the meetings were held to galvanise the party cadres, but leaders expressed resentment over “personal loyalty” being given preference over loyalty to the party and sincerity of grass-roots workers. A majority of party posts have been concentrated in Shimla district; 17 office-bearers belong to the Jubbal-Kotkhai Assembly constituency alone. Also, seven of the 41 Congress secretaries belong to the Rohru Assembly segment.

The party office-bearers did not mince words in saying that the Congress was practically missing on the ground while the BJP and even AAP seemed to be more active. “If you wish to take the entire party along, there cannot be regional imbalance and personal preferences in making appointments, which was so evident in the recent past,” said a state executive member.

The fact that the Congress remains faction-ridden does not make easy the task of the Congress in taking on the BJP. There appears to be a lack of coordination among senior leaders, who are heading important committees constituted by the AICC.

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