M A I N   N E W S

HVC crisis deepens
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, March 1 — The crisis in the Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) deepened today with a majority of “members” of the executive committee through a show of strength revoking the suspension of the PWD minister, Mr Mohinder Singh, and the party chief, Mr Sukh Ram, describing the meeting as illegal.

Mr Sukh Ram said in the evening that the list of 37 of the 54 members of the executive committee who are claimed to have participated in the convention which revoked his suspension was “fake” and only 11 members were present at the meeting.

He alleged that certain senior leaders of the BJP were trying to break the HVC which had brought them to power. Without naming anyone, he indicated that the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, was also behind the move.

On the other hand, a large number of supporters of Mr Mohinder Singh in a show of strength ridiculed Mr Sukh Ram for “arbitrarily” suspending the minister from the party. By raising their hands they “revoked” the suspension and described the step of Mr Sukh Ram as “unconstitutional”.

Mr Sukh Ram told newsmen in the evening that he would not be cowed by the show of strength and the stage of rapprochement with the defiant faction was now over.

Mr Dhani Ram Shandil, HVC member of the Lok Sabha and the district chiefs of Kulu and Mandi, who were

named in the list of Mr Mohinder Singh, were present at the residence of Mr Sukh Ram.

Prominent among those who participated in the meeting of office-bearers and demanded that the suspension should be revoked were Mr Inder Singh, vice-president, Mr O.P. Rattan and Mr Kewal Ram Chauhan, both general secretaries, Mr Bhagat Ram Chauhan, Mr Ranjit Singh Verma, Mr Sadanand Thakur and Mr Tarsem Bharti.

They adopted a resolution saying that the suspension of Mr Mohinder Singh was unconstitutional and steps should be taken to iron out the differences between the top leadership of the party.

Some of the participants alleged that Mr Sukh Ram had behaved like a dictator by constituting a new disciplinary committee overnight to recommend suspension of Mr Mohinder Singh.

They said that the meeting was not a defiance of the party discipline, but was convened to bring unity.

Mr Sukh Ram released to the Press copies of the charge sheet sent to Mr Mohinder Singh today. He has basically been accused of having misled the party on the issue of the Solan byelection for which he first recommended the candidature of Mr Haminder Thakur and subsequently supported the BJP nominee.

Addressing the participants, Mr Mohinder Singh said it was unfortunate that Mr Sukh Ram, whom he had always supported during any crisis and also when he was jailed by the CBI, was now behaving arbitrarily against him. His supporters appreciated him for having got the Shimla Lok Sabha seat and the Solan Assembly seat won for the alliance candidates.

A visibly upset Sukh Ram told newsmen that he had brought the matter of certain senior leaders of the BJP trying to break his HVC to the notice of the BJP high command. Certain BJP ministers backed the show of strength of Mr Mohinder Singh, he said.

He alleged that vehicles of the PWD were sent to various parts of the state to carry the supporters of Mr Mohinder Singh here for the meeting.

The HVC had played a historic role in the state and he would not allow the party to break. He wondered why the BJP, whom he had brought to power in the state, was now trying to break the HVC.

Mr Sukh Ram said it was unfortunate the way developments were taking place. He would again discuss this with Mr Dhumal.

Interestingly, Mr Sukh Ram, who had so far been a sworn enemy of the Congress leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, for the first time said that he was not politically “untouchable” as was considered earlier. “We have been colleagues and because of some basic differences with him we parted the ways.”