Asserting that Harmirpur,Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumals home district,was affected by dynasty rule,All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Birender Singh on Thursday announced that the Congress next rally will be held in the district and will strive for political liberation of the people from a single-family rule and corruption. He also said that the next phase of agitations would be part of the Congress renewed mass public campaign against the BJP government on the issues of corruption and patronage to the land mafia. Birender was speaking at a Congress rally organised here on Thursday,after leading a 11 km long padyatra earlier in the day. Various state Congress leaders at the rally,levelled charges of corruption against the states cabinet ministers and demanded that the chief minister remove those involved in corruption and illegal land sales. The Congress party also adopted a resolution at the end of the event,termed the BJPs four year rule as a black phase in the history of Himachal Pradesh and resolved to overthrow the corrupt and anti-people regime in the next elections. All controversial policy decisions of the government will be reversed and mafia rule will be put to an end,reads the resolution. Lending his support to the partys resolve Birender Singh said: If the chief minister fails to drop his corrupt ministers and continues to perpetuate family rule,we will create a much more powerful movement in next few months to wipe out the BJP base in the state. In fact,a section of BJP leaders have already formed an anti-corruption front and the move has fully vindicated Congress charges. The Congress leader also tried strike a chord with Kangras OBC and dalit population assuring them full socio-economic benefits and a political share when the partys return to power in the state and cautioned them against the BJPs false promises . Accusing the states BJP leaders of having become agents of those buying huge tracts of land for for private universities and other commercial purposes,Birender stated that Solan district has become an symbol of the corruption and illegal land sales to outsiders. Earlier in the day,the party padyatra,under the command of former minister G S Bali started from his constituency at Nagrota. Congress Legislature Party leader Vidya Stokes,sitting MLAs,who were already here for the Assembly session,former ministers Asha Kumari,Chander Kumar,Rangila Ram Rao,Kuldeep Kumar and Ram Lal Thakur among others also participated in the march to gherao the Vidhan Sabha. With heavy police presence to prevent the padyatra from reaching the Vidhan Sabha complex,there was a minor scuffle between Congressmen and the police after party workers tried to force their way in. We are law abiding people and did not react to the police action. So,we diverted to the venue of the rally -where thousands of people had already reached,Bali said later. A section of the Congress workers owing their allegiance to Union Minister Virbhadra Singh tried to raise pro- Virbhadra slogans but were instantly snubbed by Birender Singh who urged them to raise slogans of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other leaders including PCC president Kaul Singh Thakur. The BJP will hold rally at the same venue on Friday.
