A defiant octogenarian Virbhadra Singh has dug in to hold on to the Chief Minister’s post even as Congress faced a countrywide identity crisis with the party not having come up with enough numbers to even qualify as an Opposition party in the polls.
The six-time Chief Minister faces a tough time as BJP won all four seats in the State and as a bonus even won the Sujanpur Assembly bye-election. After Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi offering to resign, many expected that Virbhadra would follow suit. But the Chief Minister, on Friday said, “He (Gogoi) may have his compulsions. I have none. Why should I resign when our Government has been elected for a five-year termIJ”
But dissidence is expected to grow in the State as Virbhadra is no longer considered a charismatic leader. Even his wife Pratibha Singh lost from Mandi. Even before the results were declared, Rajesh Dharmani, a two-time MlA, had resigned from the position a Chief Parliamentary Secretary to express his resentment with the State party leadership. Senior congress leader Asha Kumari had early in the term even declined to join the Virbhadra Cabinet.
The party’s worst ever performance has State Congress president Sukhvinder Sukku dejected, but other than owning up responsibility there is not much for him to do as the Congress high command has crumbled and one does not know whom to turn to for seeking change or for accountability for the poor performance. A dissidence camp legislator on conditions of anonymity said, “Whom do we turn to when there is no consensus over an alternate leader to challenge Virbhadra Singh’s leadership in the party and Congress high command is not in a position to intervene and effect change.”
Detractors are now waiting for CBI to complete its investigation in a case about dramatic rise in agriculture income case, reflected in revised income tax returns filed during a period when Virbhadra was a Minister in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet. The case is pending before Delhi High Court, where AAP party leader Prashant Bhushan is pursuing the matter.
The detractors are banking upon Modi Government in speeding up the investigation process and should a charge sheet in the case is filed, it would force the Chief Minister to resign. However supporters of the veteran Chief Minister say that different yardsticks would not apply for the Chief Minister and the opposition leader.
After all the State Vigilance department has presented a charge sheet in court against both Dhumal and his son and the third time MP from Hamirpur — Anurag Thakur in cases related to establishing the scenic cricket stadium at Dharamshala. Charges of violations in land laws and demolishing and overtaking of government properties in constructing the stadium have been made out. Elected in December 2012, the Congress Government has 36 legislators in a House of 68 in the Assembly, where Opposition BJP now has 27.