Congress Loses States In Revolt, Rebels Say 'Rahul Gandhi's Unavailable'

New Delhi: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was a worried man this morning as he visited his boss, Sonia Gandhi, in Delhi. In the last two months, Congress governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have collapsed - in both cases, the party was depleted by dissidence.  

The Congress lost Arunachal last month; Uttarakhand was placed under President's rule just yesterday. If bad things come in threes, Mr Singh, is trying to ensure he's not next.

"What they (the Centre) have done in Uttarakahand, they are attempting in other states as well. This is misuse of power, but we are not worried," he said.

However, the 81-year-old knows he is not in a position of strength. Corruption charges have accrued, and investigations launched against him. The BJP in Himachal Pradesh says says the Chief Minister is so preoccupied with battling graft charges that he cannot run the state. "The next Himachal government will be formed in 2016, not 2017," said Prem Kumar Dhumal of the BJP predicting that Mr Singh will not be able to complete his term.

At the start of the year, the Congress governed nine states. Three months later, it's down to seven - among those are Kerala and Assam where elections have been called. And Manipur is looking tricky- half of the Congress' law-makers have openly revolved against Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.

The Congress claims that the BJP instigates mutiny, then uses its "dirty tricks department" to lure dissidents while the Centre pushes through president's rule even when it is not warranted. For example, Congress leaders said, their Chief Minister in Uttarakhand was denied the chance to take a trust vote scheduled for today. The BJP's advice: get your house in order. "Instead of blaming the BJP, the Congress leadership should introspect. It's their own MLAs revolting," said BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma.

But most stinging for the Congress could be the criticism that its own top bosses have ignored the problem. Vijay Bahuguna, who headed the Congress revolt in Uttarakhand, has said that he tried unsuccessfully "for two years" to get an appointment with Rahul Gandhi.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was campaigning for the general election, he referred often to his commitment to delivering a "Congress-Mukt Bharat" (a country free of the Congress).  The party is now struggling to retain power even in states which have been loyal strongholds.