‘Save Constitution’ rallies across state a challenge for Congress

The state Congress has announced the schedule to conduct rallies at the state, district and block level under the ‘Save the Constitution’ campaign. The Congress workers, however, have reservations about the success of the campaign, especially at the district and block level, in the absence of the party organisation in the state.

It has been more than five-and-a half-months since Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) was dissolved by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge. Except for HPCC president Pratibha Singh, the entire HPCC, up to the block level, stands dissolved.

“It would not be difficult to gather people for the state-level event in Shimla on April 26. Top leaders, including the Chief Minister, will be there, so people will come. But without the district and the block presidents, it will not be easy to hold impressive rallies at the district and block level,” said a party worker. “If we have to take our message to the booth level and go door to door, we need an active organisation on the ground,” said the party worker.

While admitting that an active organsiation and office-bearers would have made the implementation of the campaign quite smooth, a Congress MLA said the party would still be able to implement the campaign successfully. “The ministers and MLAs have been given the charge of the districts. The office-bearers of the dissolved committees would be contacted to participate in these rallies. Of course, it would have been easier to implement the campaign if the organisation had been reconstituted by now,” he said.

Meanwhile, a senior Congress leader said that there was a strong possibility of the reconstitution of the HPCC by the time the campaign is scheduled to kick off in districts and blocks. “The state-level rally will be held in Shimla on April 26. The programmes at the district and block level have been scheduled for the next month because we will have our district and block committees in place by that time,” he said.

Incidentally, the tentative time frame given by the Congress leaders for the HPCC reconstitution have been breached several times in the past. Rajni Patil, the AICC incharge for Himachal, had announced that the HPCC would be reconstituted by around March 15. More than a month has elapsed since that tentative deadline, but the HPCC continues to be in limbo. None in the Congress leaders can say with certainty when the state body would be reconstituted.

“The AICC in-charge for the state is coming shortly and she will decide how to proceed further. The HPCC should be reconstituted as early as possible so that the party’s programmes could be taken to the public,” said state Congress president Pratibha Singh.

Himachal Tribune