The brawl took place a little after a public meeting to mark the appointment of Kuldeep Rathore as the new Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president, according to eyewitnesses
Supporters from two Congress factions exchanged blows and flung chairs at each other in a brawl at the Himachal Pradesh Congress headquarters shortly after a new state unit president assumed charge, party members said.
The clash allegedly took place between the supporters of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and outgoing state unit president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.Eyewitnesses said at least two Congress workers were hurt in the fight, which brought into the open the factionalism in the party's state unit.
What happened at Congress Bhawan should not have happened. Appropriate action will be taken against those involved after identifying them, Kuldeep Rathore, the new Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president told reporters later.The brief fight took place in the presence of Virbhadra Singh, Rathore, Sukhu, AICC office bearer Rajni Patil and some party MLAs.
Shortly before the fracas at the party office, Kuldeep Rathore took charge of his new assignment at a public meeting held two kilometres away.Party members said the brawl was triggered by slogan-shouting by supporters from the rival factions.
At the public meeting earlier, Patil and Rathore had warned that indiscipline would not be tolerated in the party.Both Virbhadra Singh and Sukhu have made veiled attacks against each other at meetings and through press statements after the party announced the appointment of a new state-level head.
Rajni Patil, who is the Himachal Pradesh in-charge at the All India Congress Committee, warned against this at the public meeting.No party leader or worker should think that the party would not take action against them if they continue to go to the media, breaching party discipline, she had said, without naming anyone.
Sukhu did not attend the public meeting, saying he was going for a medical check-up at that time.But Rathore praised the absent leader and said Sukhu had told him that he will be there at the party office in the evening. He said Sukhu had supported his appointment.He also thanked Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his elevation and claimed the Congress would win all four parliamentary seats in the state.
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