Reinstall foundation stone having Sonia’s name at Atal Tunnel: Himachal Congress

The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) staged a protest outside the DC office here on Thursday demanding reinstallation of the foundation stone plaque bearing

The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) staged a protest outside the DC office here on Thursday demanding reinstallation of the foundation stone plaque bearing UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s name which was removed during the inauguration of the Atal Tunnel on October 3.

Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee members protesting for reinstallation of foundation stone of Atal Tunnel, which was laid by Sonia Gandhi, in Kullu on Thursday. (AQIL KHAN/HT)

During the protest, HPCC president Kuldeep Singh Rathore appealed to the party workers to unify and strengthen the party at grassroots level and criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for setting wrong precedent by removing the foundation stone bearing Sonia’s name.

MLA Sunder Thakur warned the administration of serious consequences if the foundation plaque is not reinstalled in its original position at the earliest.

HPCC leaders said that they will continue to stage block-wise protests daily till the foundation stone is reinstalled. They said that they will also organise a massive protest on Dhalpur ground, Kullu, after Diwali.

A similar protest, under the leadership of Kuldeep Singh Rathore, will be organised in Keylong, the district headquarters of Lahaul-Spiti on Friday.

Accusing the state government and district administration of removing the plaque with Sonia’s name, the HPCC had given a 15-day ultimatum on October 13 for reinstallation of the foundation stone and had even submitted a memorandum to Himachal chief minister Jai Ram Thakur regarding this.