HLP to launch stir against Cong

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 18

Maheshwar Singh, president of the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), has once again drawn his sword against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. The HLP state executive today unilaterally declared war against the Congress in and outside the Vidhan Sabha.

The HLP state executive met here today under Maheshwar Singh and fired its fresh salvo against the Congress, stating that the “state government has failed to act on the election promises made during the state Assembly elections.”

The main reason behind Maheshwar Singh’s U-turn against Virbhadra Singh is the issue of formation of Lord Raghunath Trust in Kullu, revealed sources.

Maheshwar Singh, chief representative of Lord Raghunath, presiding lord of Kullu Dasehra, has opposed the formation of the trust on the ground that “Raghunath devta is his family’s private deity”.

On the other hand, devotees of Lord Raghunath, including a faction of the Kardar Sangh of Kullu, have supported the formation of the trust and pressed upon the Chief Minister to notify the trust on the ground that the “Raghunath is deity of the entire valley not a private devta of the present scion alone”.

Though the government has not notified the formation of trust, Maheshwar Singh and his supporters have been mounting pressure on Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh opposing the trust.

Besides, the name of Karan Singh, his brother, who represents Banjar, is time and again tipped for a berth in Virbhadra Singh Cabinet, a move that Maheshwar Singh, who represents Kullu, has been opposing, revealed sources.

HLP spokesperson Mahinder Singh Sofat said the HLP had given support to the Congress in the Vidhan Sabha on the basis of its performance.

He said now the executive withdrew support and the HLP would launch an agitation against the Congress as it had failed to expose the 108 ambulance purchase scam, pulses scam, benami land scam and telephone tapping scam even after completion of first half of its term. Sofat said the HLP opposed both the Congress and the BJP as both represented two sides of the same coin. The present government was opening schools, colleges, government offices and health centres without deputing staff and doctors, the party said.

The HLP alleged “transfer mafia” was active in the state while ministers were busy settling scores with one another and retired officials were having a field day. The development works had come to a standstill, the HLP claimed. The HLP further charged that the Centre was protecting its top leaders Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje, who were protecting former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi, facing charges in the IPL scam.