Virbhadra describes state party chief’s acts ‘cowardly’

SHIMLA: Congress’ bid to unite warring factions ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in Himachal, suffered a jolt as rivals —former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and the state party chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu hit out at each other in the presence of All India Congress party general secretary Rajni Patil, during a party workers meet here on Friday.

Virbhadra Singh in his scathing attack at the state party chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, termed party chief’s acts ‘cowardly’. “Only courageous person can hold ground,” Singh said and flayed the party president for holding protest within the premises of the state party headquarter Rajiv Bhawan.

“I have seen one thing that the party holds protest within the Congress premises across the main road. The Congress believes in non-violence, but at times, one has to be aggressive to lead the struggle,” said Singh, adding that the protest against the government should be well organised and not be symbolic.

If one does not have courage to lead the protest, he should rather sit quietly, he said.

“Party should allocate tickets only to serving and winning candidates,” said Virbhadra Singh and blamed the wrong distribution of tickets for the party’s defeat.

“We lost not because of the BJP but becasue of our own folly,” he added.

State party chief Sukhu obliquely castigated Virbhadra. “The Congress worked relentlessly for people and carried out all around development in the state. But, we still lost as we could not connect to youth,” said Sukhu, adding that the BJP ran a campaign on social media and targeted youths and lured them while the Congress failed at the similar front.

All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge for Himachal affairs— Rajni Patil appealed all the workers and the leaders to unite against the BJP. “The main leadership is here, we have made good beginning,” she said, adding the party will also go by the suggestions made by Singh.

Earlier, Congress legislature party leader Mukesh Agnihotri flayed CMJAI Ram Thakur’s six month regime.