Cong paralysed in HP, says Sukhu’s minister
Shimla: Even as the Opposition BJP continues to attack Himachal Pradesh’s Congress government on poor governance and mounting debt—making it impossible to pay staff salaries and pensions—the ruling party seems to be itself caught up in disarray.
After the party’s defeat in Delhi state Assembly polls, drawing a blank, senior most cabinet minister Chander Kumar, who holds the portfolio of agriculture, slammed the party high command for not contesting the polls seriously.
The five-time MLA and former MP, Chander Kumar, who hails from politically significant Kangra district, also conveyed his disappointment over the manner in which the party leadership in Delhi has been treating the party in Himachal Pradesh, where the congress had formed the government in 2022.
“The organization of the Congress in Himachal Pradesh has been paralysed,” he said reminding that state executive, PCC, DCCs and Block Congress bodies were dissolved three months back. Yet, have not been reconstituted so far.
Kumar belongs to the OBC community which has quite a dominance in Kangra and Hamirpur districts.
In the name of the party, the only face remains former Mandi MP Pratibha Singh, who was named as party chief, ahead of 2022 polls to encash on the legacy of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
But with Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, a Virbhadra Singh baiter, becoming Chief Minister, Pratibha Singh continues to struggle her way to build bridges between herself and Chief Minister.
During Bilaspur rally of the Congress government’s completion of two years in power, Pratibha Singh ‘s speech was also cut short mid-way when she tried to draw attention of AICC incharge Rajeev Shukla for reconstituting the party executive.
She admits that keeping the organisational body in a suspended animation was not in the interest of the Congress. The party hired a new executive to begin its working for the 2027 state assembly elections and also for keeping the cadres engaged to counter the opposition BJP.
“Now more than three months have passed, but there is no discussion about new appointments. The matter has gone into cold storage” she admits.
A large number of the Congress workers also want the high command to act and reconstitute the state executive so as to assign them periodic activities and also party positions.
After losing 2022 elections, the opposition BJP has been seriously involved in the organisational activities and holding meetings at the districts and state level to keep the government under pressure, and also raising the issues of public importance. But, there is complete inactivity in the Congress camps. The party leaders, or MLAs, who are not considered close to the Chief Minister, have kept themselves aloof from the organisation. During 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress suffered a huge jolt losing all the four seats to the BJP despite it having come to power with 40 MLAs.
