HPCC chief Kaul Singh hits back at Virbhadra

In fresh bickering in Himachal Pradesh Congress ahead of coming assembly poll, the state unit President Kaul Singh Thakur today hit out at former union minister Virbhadra Singh and scoffed at the latter's demand for appointing a working president.

Talking to mediapersons here, Thakur said HPCC was functioning "properly" and "I am fit and working hard to bring the party back to power. So, where is the need for a working president?"

He rebutted the allegation of Singh that he, and some other Congress leaders were trying to weaken the party and said "we are working to weaken and defeat BJP and there is no question of weakening the party leaders".

Kaul Sing Thakur defended the nominations made to DCCs and PCCs and said all these were made on the recommendations of DCCs and PCCs and were "constitutional".

The party is gearing up for the assembly elections and the process of selection of candidates has already been set in motion by inviting the recommendations from BCCs by August 10 and by DCCs by August 17 to enable PCC to screen the candidates and send the recommendations to party high command.

Referring to the reports that the assembly elections might be staggered over two phases, Kaul Singh Thakur said he would meet the Election Commission of India and plead for elections in a single phase between October 20 and November 5.

He also urged the ECI to announce the poll dates and impose the model code of conduct.