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Leaders with mass base be taken back, urges Virbhadra

Una: Jolted by the party’s dismal showing in Hamirpur Lok Sabha by-poll, veteran Congress leader Virbhadra Singh on Sunday urged the high command to re-induct leaders with mass base into the party to avoid a similar fate in the general elections.

“The high command has to take important decisions before the Parliamentary elections in the wake of Hamirpur by-poll result including taking back leaders with mass base into the party,” Mr. Singh who was the Chief Minister of the hill State for a record five times, told reporters.

Mr. Singh, whose unhappiness with the Leader of the Opposition Vidya Stokes and State Congress president Viplov Thakur is well-known, also alleged that these leaders had been expelled as some State party leaders did not like them.

Congress candidate O.P. Rattan had lost to BJP nominee Anurag Thakur, who is son of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, in Hamirpur by-election by 1,74,666 votes.

Attributing the BJP’s victory at Hamirpur to “Dhan shakti and Raj shakti” (money and political power), he, however, admitted that the Congress could not organise the election campaign in a manner that could motivate party workers. -- PTI

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