Fearing U’khand repeat, Sonia summons top HP Cong leaders
SHIMLA: Apparently wary of a repeat of an Uttarakhandlike development in which the Centre imposed President’s rule in the state, the Congress high command on Tuesday summoned the top party leadership from Himachal Pradesh to deliberate upon the ongoing political situation in the hill state.
The Congress high command has called meeting of HP leaders to Delhi to discuss the political situation, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) offensive against chief minister Virbhadra Singh in the wake of the Enforcement Directorate’s move to attach his properties in the national capital.
Well-placed sources in the Congress said that senior leaders, including Virbhadra, state party chief Sukhvinder SIngh Sukhu, health minister Kaul Singh Thakur, irrigation and public health minister Vidya Stokes, transport minister GS Bali, industries minister Mukesh Agnihotri, have been called to Delhi on April 2.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and Dalhousie legislator Asha Kumari will also attend the meeting convened by AICC president Sonia Gandhi.
AICC general secretary in- charge party affairs for Himachal Ambika Soni and co-incharge Raja Rampal will meet the Congress leaders separately before deliberating upon the political situation in the state with Sonia. Soon after the House was over on Tuesday, Bali reached the state Congress headquarters, Rajiv Bhawan, and held a closed-door discussion with Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
The BJP accused the chief minister and Congress govern- ment of running away from the debate on the development. Virbhadra refused to give in to the opposition’s demand to step down, claiming that his government was stable. Virbhadra on Monday had met Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and Ambika Soni in the wake of the Centre imposing President’s rule in Uttarakhand.
The party high command has reportedly told Virbhadra to redress the grievances of a faction of Congress leaders who are unhappy with his functioning.
T here are many in the Congress who see Kaul Singh Thakur as the contender to the top post in the state and they have been by his side ever since the Congress came to power in 2012. In the 68-member House, the Congress has 36 legislators, BJP 27, Himachal Lokhit Party one besides four independents.
The BJP is already demanding the speaker to act on its petition against four independent MLAs Pawan Kajal, Kir nesh Jung, Manoh ar Dhiman and Balbir Verma who had expressed solidarity with Virbhadra Singh. The BJP alleged that Independents were separate entity in the House and they cannot side with any political party. DHUMAL HINTS AT PREZ RULE IN STATE
Former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on Tuesday said the Virbhadra Singh government could meet the same fate as Arunachal Pradesh and the neighbouring Uttarakhand.
In Arunachal, Congress legislators had broken away to form a separate group while in Uttarkhand the party was divided over division of votes on the finance Bill, Dhumanl said.
“What is the Centre’s role in the division of votes on the finance Bill in Uttrakhand,” he questioned. “As it is happened in Uttrakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, it can happen in Himachal also,” he said, , adding, “There is possibility of everything in politics.”
AMONG THOSE CALLED FOR THE MEETING ARE HP CONGRESS CHIEF SUKHVINDER SINGH SUKHU, IPH MINISTER VIDYA STOKES, TRANSPORT MINISTER GS BALI AND INDUSTRIES MINISTER MUKESH AGNIHOTRI