Snubbed over Madan Lal’s candidature, PCC chief Kaul Singh Thakur writes to Sonia

Dissidence in the Himachal Congress is at the highest level, literally. Snubbed by the central leadership in the selection of Madan Lal instead of Narinder Thakur for the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat, Pradesh Congress Committee president Kaul Singh Thakur has dashed off a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, conveying his strong displeasure over the choice of candidate. In his letter, the PCC president has given vent to his feeling of “humiliation and frustration”, stating that fielding Madan Lal would adversely affect the party prospects in the other three seats too. “Fielding a native of Hamirpur, especially Narinder Thakur, would have helped the Congress in pinning down Chief Minister Dhumal in Hamirpur and building-up a relatively better campaign in other constituencies,” he wrote.

Earlier, during the day, Thakur told mediapersons at Mandi that he has not ruled out the possibility of reconsideration by the party. Thakur also sought to disassociate himself from the poll outcome of Hamirpur. He, however, maintained that he has no choice but accept the high command’s decision if it remains firm on Madan Lal.

“In fact, Hamirpur has a history of electing paratroopers. So it won’t be a surprise if the party eventually wrests the seat from BJP,” he remarked.

When contacted and asked about letter, the PCC president said, “Being a disciplined and loyal Congressman, I have only tried to apprise the party of a few ground realities. It’s neither a revolt nor displeasure from my side.

... contd.