Congress removes Himachal rebel Sudhir Sharma from ACICCsecy’s post

Days after rebelling Congress MLAs cost the party a Rajya Sabha seat and sent the 14th-month-old Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led state government into a spiral, party high command acted removed Dharamshala legislator Sudhir Sharma, at the centre of the rebellion, from the post of AICC secretary.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday removed Sudhir Sharma from the post of national secretary, with general secretary KC Venugopal issuing orders to that effect.
Another rebel, Rajender Rana, meanwhile, resigned from the post of Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee’s working president.
Both leaders were among the six legislators who cross-voted in Rajya Sabha polls only to face disqualification for defying the whip on the financial bill.
The crisis began for chief minister (CM) Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on February 27, the day the Congress suffered embarrassment after losing the Rajya Sabha seat despite having a clear majority of 43 — 40 Congress legislators and three independents — in the assembly against Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) 25.
Party candidate Abhishek Singhvi received only 34 votes after six party lawmakers and the three independents voted for BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan, who also received 34 votes. The tie was then resolved by a draw of lots, with Mahajan emerging victorious.
Congress’ decision to remove Sharma is being viewed as sending out a strong message of the party’s doors being closed for the leader, a four-time legislator and the urban development minister in the Virbhadra Singh government between 2012 to 2017.
Notably, the party has maintained a studied silence on the other rebels — Indradutt Lakhanpal, Devendra Kumar Bhutto, Chaitanya Sharma and Ravi Thakur.
Rana, meanwhile, has sent his resignation from the working president’s post to Kharge and copies were marked to Venugopal, Congress’ state unit president Pratibha Singh and state in-charge Rajiv Shukla.
Sharma, Rana blast Sukhu and his ‘coterie’
Before the AICC action against him, Sharma had castigated party high command and CM Sukhu on social media. “The high command is blindfolded. When the rulers of the state, surrounded by a coterie of friends have become dictators, in such a situation, like cowards, we cannot break the public trust. Therefore this decision has been taken in public interest,” he wrote on ‘X’.
Rana, before sending their resignation, had also taken to social media platforms to address the people’s concerns. “You granted us the opportunity to transform our commitments into reality by casting your valuable votes. You bestowed upon us the chance to serve this land of God, ‘Devbhoomi’. However, what has become of those promises today?” Rana lamented in a Facebook post.
“In the end, I found myself with two choices. I could have basked in the comforts of power by aligning with CM Sukhu’s inner circle, finding solace in the corridors of Congress in Delhi. Alternatively, I could have pursued the same path I am treading now,” he added, before claiming that the “resistance” against the present government’s machinery is nearing its climax.
“Rest assured, the result will mark a significant milestone for Himachal and its people,” Rana said