Shimla, July 8: Workers of the Block Congress Committee (BCC), Shahpur, under the leadership of Kewal Singh Pathania, Vice-Chairman, State Forest Corporation, on Friday expressed their solidarity with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh after Vijay Singh Mankotia’s outburst and other developments, including Mankotia’s removal as vice-chairman of the Tourism Development Board. The BCC workers gathered at the Rait Congress office under the leadership of Kewal Singh Pathania and declared their solidarity with Virbhadra Singh. They said the future of Shahpur was safe under leaders like Virbhadra Singh and KS Pathania. They raised slogans in favour of Virbhadra Singh.
However, they did not speak out anything against Mankotia who represented the constituency in 1985, 1990, 1993 and 2003 and was in the Virbhdra Singh’s Cabinet as Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister. Pathania said a rally was taken out at Shahpur and Rait and Dharkandi and Changer Congress committees also supported the Chief Minister.The Congress workers said it was because of Virbhadra Singh and KS Pathania that Shahpur Assembly constituency had witnessed tremendous development.
The SDM office was opened at Shahpur and sub tehsil at remote village of Drehni. Two degree colleges were opened besides a number of schools were upgraded, new school buildings were constructed. KS Pathania did not say anything about Mankotia. However, he said BJP leaders and some other leaders were afraid of Virbhadra Singh so they were trying to target him as their futile exercise.
He was critical of BJP leaders for targeting Virbhadra Singh during the Parivartan yatra and said BJP leaders had developed Virbhadra phobia. He alleged the state BJP leadership had become so weak that party had to import leaders from outside the state for the yatra.
