Heights of turbulence

Congress leadership backs Chief Minister Sukhu for now. But he needs his best political game to stay on top

- SONI MISHRA

When Rahul Gandhi made a brief speech at Indora in Himachal Pradesh during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in January 2023, he made a special mention about an act of kindness by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu he had witnessed that day.

Sukhu had walked with Rahul through Indora after the yatra had entered Himachal Pradesh from neighbouring Punjab. The route of the yatra had been changed to include the state following the party’s victory in the assembly polls. Rahul spoke about how Sukhu had helped a participant who had suffered a fall during the yatra. He said it warmed his heart to note that the state had a chief minister who cared for the people.

Sukhu was then a newly minted chief minister, having led the party to victory in the assembly elections in November 2022. The 58-year-old leader, who rose through the ranks in the Congress, had finally found his moment in the sun.

The son of a state roadways bus driver, Sukhu was seen as the subaltern who took on the might of Virbhadra Singh, the royal who had dominated the state’s politics and the Congress. Virbhadra, the longest-serving chief minister of the hill state, was a powerful satrap who did not bow to the Congress high command. It was in such a scenario that the plucky Sukhu challenged Virbhadra, reportedly with the backing of the party leadership in Delhi.