New PCC chief to take charge on Jan 17, plans rally for show of strength
Shimla: Even as his outgoing predecessor Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and six time former chief minister Virbhadra Singh are locked in a verbal fight, new Himachal Pradesh Congress president Kuldeep Rathore has chosen to play it safe before he takes the party charge.
Rathore has proposed a Congress rally in the town on January 17 as show of strength for his first day in the office .Massive preparations are underway for the rally in Shimla.
On his side, Rathore has invited top party leadership including Virbhadra Singh, Congress veteran Vidya Stokes, PCC's outgoing president Sukhwinder Sukhu, CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri.
He has held separate meetings with Virbhadra Singh, Stokes and Sukhu.
"We will like to see whole Congress family on one platform to give a united look and send BJP a strong message about the party rally behind Rathore in his task to win all four Lok Sabha seats," says a close Rathore aide.
Thus, new PCC president has invited former union minister Anand Sharma and AICC in charge Rajini Patil to the rally.
The change in the PCC holds significance as Virbhadra Singh had been working relentlessly to see Sukhu out and get his holds back on the party. Sukhu had never been on same page with Virbhadra Singh .Both been blaming each other for the party's defeat in the assembly polls.
Even after the AICC ordering changes in the party, both Virbhadra Singh and PCC's battle have been out on streets as former chief minister using choicest terms to ridicule Sukhu, who too retaliated hard raising questions on his leadership despite being six-time Chief Minister never been able to retain power successively.
Only two days back, 11 party MLAs came out openly to not to cross limits, and rather try to learn manners.
Rathore however advised two sides to follow party discipline and not take their wordy battle to public ridicule.
Much is likely to change in the Congress in the coming days as Rathore face biggest challenge to end party's factional war and bring Virbhadra Singh and his rivals to a common ground -- a task not that easy .
