Hill state chief ministers give Congress a 'Himalayan headache'

NEW DELHI: Congress is again saddled with a Himalayan headache with repeated questions about the chief ministers of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh causing a sense of uncertainty in the party ahead of its preparations for the Lok Sabha polls.

The corruption allegations against Virbhadra Singh of Himachal have revived the problem in the hill state just when the party felt that it had settled the question with a victory in assembly elections in December 2012. Singh had threatened to jump the ship after being ignored to lead the party in the state and a Congress surrender saw the veteran dislodge BJP.

With fresh uncertainty in Himachal, sources said the CM was in the clear "at present". The "loans" to his family and allegations of favour are undercut by the fact that the same firm was in favour during the previous BJP regime as well. Also, some charges appear to be a repeat of what was raised earlier by Singh's rivals. "While there are irregularities, the CM's case seems plausible," a senior leader said.

But sources added there would be problems for Singh if new unsavoury details tumble out in the future that Singh cannot respond to, especially since it provides rival BJP an opening to question Rahul Gandhi's stress on probity. Irrespective of which way the case tilts, Congress may be hamstrung in playing the supreme arbiter.

A combative Singh's full throttled political programmes across Himachal hills, while showing his confidence, underline a ticklish problem for the leadership. The party is aware that its influence over the state unit is limited in the face of Singh's own clout and the fact that he nearly broke away ahead of 2012 assembly polls. Given the backdrop, it may not be easy for the Congress brass to act, especially ahead of LS polls.

Uttarakhand provides a contrast to Himachal since unlike Virbhadra, CM Vijay Bahuguna is politically weak and under its control. Yet, the issue of leadership change has dragged on for three months.

As the CM's fate hangs in the balance over performance issues, the party activities have come to a virtual halt with state leaders trooping to the capital for lobbyinging. Congress is looking to defend all five Lok Sabha seats that it swept in 2009.