Revolt in HLP: two leaders resign

Breaking their 11-month-old association with the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), two leaders of the party on Monday announced their resignation from the primary membership of the party here.

Breaking their 11-month-old association with the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), two leaders of the party on Monday announced their resignation from the primary membership of the party here.

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OP Kant, a retired bureaucrat, who was party's candidate in the assembly elections, had unsuccessfully contested the elections from Solan assembly segment, while second leader Vivek Sharma, who was co-in charge of the party's youth brigade, was one of founder members of the HLP.

Since the seeds of formation of the HLP were sown in Solan by a group of disgruntled leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the severing of association by two frontline leaders of the HLP was indicative of an open revolt against its leadership over certain vital issues.

In a statement issued here, the leaders said the party leadership first announced poll alliance with the Communist Party of India and Communist Party Marxist, but later did not honour its own decision.

The HLP leadership instead of honouring truce with CPI and CPM chose to field its candidates in Kasumpati and Mandi constituencies against the left parties that forced them to withdraw their support on other segments during the assembly elections.

Despite raising the issue of serious financial misappropriation in the party fund, certain leaders were delaying the issue on one or the other pretext. They said the party had divided over various organisational issues and the top leaders have turned mute spectators. Since they were feeling suffocated owing to dawdling approach of the party leadership over various vital issues, both have decided to severe their association with the party under present circumstances, they added.