Shimla, Oct 10: Having been declared as the chief ministerial candidate by Rahul Gandhi, a buoyant Virbhadra Singh today said there was perfect coordination between the government and party organisation as he exhibited perfect bonhomie with Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, holding his hand all through at a function here today.This is the first utterance by Virbhadra on party affairs after being declared as the Congress’CM face.
“The government is doing its own job while the party organistaion is doing its duty. There is no question of any difference,” he remarked. Virbhadra proved this not just through his words but by his gestures as he had lunch with state Congress president Sukhu, whose removal he had been seeking for the last one year.
He held on to Sukhu’s arm as he left Hotel Holiday Home in the presence of AICC secretary and co-incharge of Himachal affairs Ranjit Ranjan. “It is not necessary that both of us should be seen hugging each other. The fact is that we are moving forward together,” he said on a lighter note while referring to his and Sukhu’s relations.An upbeat Virbhadra also dared the BJP to declare its CM candidate the way his party had done. “The BJP must declare its CM face so that people of the state know who will be the CM if the party comes to power,” he said.
The BJP has so far desisted from projecting its CM face and there is complete uncertainty who will get the CM’s chair if the party is voted to power.Virbhadra said the Congress will shortly finalise its list of candidates and winnability will be the sole criterion. “I can say this with certainty that the Congress is on Mission Repeat and the party will comfortably secure 45 seats,” he said.
He, however, added that barring Shimla (Urban) Assembly segment, he could contest the election from anywhere in the state.Virbhadra had been seeking Sukhu’s removal so that his loyalist could take over the reins of the party. He had even gone to the extent of stating that he would neither contest the Assembly election, nor campaign for any party candidate. The Congress high command tried to placate him by projecting him as the CM candidate and that formula seems to have worked.
Source Tribune India
