Cong dissolves Himachal unit, state chief says given free hand for revamp

The Congress has dissolved its unit in Himachal Pradesh, the party said on Wednesday.

However, the president of the state Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) shall remain unchanged, a press release signed by party general secretary KC Venugopal said.

In Shimla, state unit president Kuldeep Singh Rathore told PTI that the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) has dissolved the unit with his consent and given him a free hand to reconstitute it.

Venugopal's statement said Congress president Sonia Gandhi had decided to dissolve the executive committees at the state, district and block levels in Himachal Pradesh with immediate effect.

In a state-level move, the Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress also dissolved executive committees of its two blocks in Bilaspur district.

Asked if the dissolution was a jolt to the faction led by his predecessor Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Rathore said, "No, it's not so. No faction exists in the party."
Rathore rejected factionalism charge, saying, "All senior party leaders, including former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, are taking an active part in the organisation programmes."