RS Bali, the young and dynamic Congress MLA from Nagrota Bagwan in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, appears to have gained in stature after his “one-on-one” with betenoire Sudhir Sharma, a BJP legislator from Dharamshala.
Sudhir had been the rising star of the Congress from the politically significant Kangra district, and even remained a Cabinet minister, till his mentor and late six-term Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was at the helm. But things changed for Sudhir after Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu became the Chief Minister.
Rising Congress star from Kangra district
Bali, who was seen close to Chief Minister Sukhu, replaced Sudhir as the “Kangra star”. Unable to find a place in the Himachal Pradesh cabinet, Sudhir had to quit the Congress and was re-elected as the BJP MLA from Dharamshala.
A political slugfest erupted recently between Sudhir and Bali over the financial crisis facing the properties of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), of which the Nagrota MLA is the Chairman. The Himachal Pradesh High Court had ordered the closure of 18 “loss-making” hotels of the HPTDC — the implementation of the order has since been deferred till March 31, 2024. Before that, the High Court had ordered the attachment of Himachal Bhavan in Delhi over the payment of Rs 65 crore to a private power company.
Rebutting HPTDC allegations with ‘proof’
While Sudhir accused the Congress government of financial mismanagement and “attempts to sell the prime HPTDC properties” to favourite private players, Bali tried to rebut the allegations with “facts and papers” and what he described as “solid evidence”.
“This is the proof,” Bali declared at a press conference in Shimla, holding up printouts of social media posts made by Sudhir. “In April 2024 and more recently, he (read Sudhir) spread misinformation about the HPTDC and ADB properties being up for sale. Such lies are unacceptable from someone in a responsible position,” said Bali.
Bali accused Sudhir of sowing public discontent and using his verified social media accounts to amplify baseless claims.
Bali takes on Rakesh Pathania too with videos
Shifting focus, Bali targeted BJP leader Rakesh Pathania as well over his allegations that the Congress was trying to sell HPTDC hotels. “Pathania is a senior leader whom young politicians like me should respect, but his press conference was deeply disappointing,” Bali said. Bali played a video of Pathania claiming that the HPTDC was highly profitable under his tenure. Bali dismantled this claim with audited financial records.
“The HPTDC was in profit before Pathania’s tenure, with the last recorded profit being Rs 18 lakh. During his regime, however, the corporation suffered its first losses, amounting to Rs 1.14 crore,” Bali stated emphatically.
With this sharp remark, Bali directly blamed Pathania for the HPTDC’s financial downturn, accusing him of gross mismanagement during his leadership.
From the outset, Bali maintained an assertive tone, addressing critics who questioned his earlier silence on these issues. “Nobody else will decide when RS Bali should speak,” he said firmly. Both Sudhir and Pathania haven’t come out with rebuttals since.
