New Delhi, July 25
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today lost out to his party rivals as their candidate, former MLA Viplove Thakur, was named the new President of the HP Pradesh Congress Committee (HPPCC).
Mrs Thakur replaces Chief Minister loyalist Kuldeep Kumar, who is also a minister in the state government. Although Mr Virbhadra Singh wanted Mr Kumar to be retained as state party chief, the latter was loathe to give up his ministry. The new PCC President is well-known for her proximity to Power Minister Vidya Stokes, whose rivalry with the chief minister is legendary.
Today’s official announcement brings down the curtain on a prolonged battle between the two HP Congress factions, who had been pushing the case of
their respective candidates which had delayed the appointment interminably.
Mrs Thakur, her supporters argued, fits the bill since she belongs to Kangra in the lower Himachal region, she would prove to be an effective counter to BJP stalwarts Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar, who also come from this area. They said it was imperative to give representation to this region since the Chief Minister comes from Shimla district.
Mrs Thakur, a Brahmin but married into a Thakur family, is an experienced leader, belonging to a well-known political family, it was stated. Her mother, Sarla Sharma, had served as PCC chief. The argument that the Congress has no woman PCC chief in the entire Northern belt apparently clinched the issue in Mrs Thakur’s favour. Mr Virbhadra Singh, on the other hand, was canvassing for Mr Brij Biharilal Butail or Mr Chander Kumar.
Mrs Thakur’s appointment is in line with the AICC’s latest policy to keep a check on chief ministers by naming their rivals as party chiefs. This was evident in Delhi when chief minister Sheila Diskhit’s bitter critic Ram Babu Sharma was appointed state unit chief. Similarly, Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, who was known to be the dissident camp’s choice, was named PPCC President, although his appointment was stoutly opposed by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
