Concept of democracy diminishing in all parties: Himachal CM

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today that the concept of democracy was fast disappearing in all political parties and called for elections to party posts to be held in a democratic manner.
Singh said he was elected president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) four times, and only once was he nominated to the post two months before the last polls.
"Today, the true concept of democracy was diminishing in all parties. I believe elections to various posts, even at the block-level should be held in a democratic manner. All the members should be elected, and not be nominated," he said.

Addressing a public meeting at Nerwa in Chopal area of Shimla, he slammed independent MLA from Chopal Balbir Verma, accusing him of betraying the people of his constituency.
"It is unfortunate that the sitting MLA from Chopal could not digest the development of the area and betrayed the people of his constituency by joining hands with the BJP," he said.
Singh claimed that after the 2012 assembly polls, Verma, who won as an independent candidate in the polls, requested him to make him an associate member of the Congress party.

But Verma later claimed credit for Chopal's development and blamed him for ignoring the area, Singh said.

He said he believed in the overall development of the state and does not play politics in the name of region, caste or religion.
The chief minister later inaugurated a Rs 4.73-crore industrial training institute at Nerwa and
laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 78 crore in Chopal constituency.
Singh told reporters that former Congress MLA Subhash Manglet would be his choice from Congress party to contest from Chopal constituency in the state polls due later this year.