Rahul Gandhi steps in to strengthen Congress in Himachal Pradesh

NEW DELHI: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has decided to strengthen the party’s efforts to thwart the BJP-fuelled rebellion in Himachal Pradesh which is being speculated as the third Congress-administered state that could be destabilised after Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Gandhi is learnt to have planned a two-day — May 16-17 are the tentative dates —- interaction with the HP unit of the party after the end of the campaigning for Tamil Nadu and Kerala assembly polls. While party insiders sought to downplay his visit suggesting it was long pending given his inability to have spared time in the state after the elections, it holds significance in the wake of BJP’s public assertion to target Himachal after Uttarakhand.

A strong section of the BJP leadership in Delhi has always been gunning for Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh. Rahul Gandhi’s move appears to be a pre-emptive one to curb the impression that he is largely inaccessible, which is being seen as the prime reason for rebel Congress MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to hobnob with the BJP.