The meeting of Congress Manifesto Committee for HP elections was attended by party general secretary and in-charge of Congress affairs in the hill state Birendra Singh, leader of the opposition in HP Assembly Vidya Stokes, PCC chief Kaul Singh Thakur among others.
On absence of Virbhadra Singh, G S Bali, Convenor of the committee, said, "I do not know the reason...But except for him other members were present."
Close supporters of Singh, who resigned from Manmohan Singh ministry recently in the wake of a court ruling in a CD case against him, are unhappy over appointment of Sharma, his rival in state politics, as chairman of the committe.
Singh, who celebrated 50 years in active politics on June 23 , has served as Chief Minister of HP for five times in the past.
Singh, who is in the national capital, did not answer telephone calls. His aides confirmed that he did not go to the meeting but refused to divulge the reasons.
Singh's close supporters in the committee-- Gangu Ram Mussafir and Kuldip Singh Pathania, both MLAs, attended the meeting.
The term of the present assembly in HP will end by December end.
Emerging from the meeting, Bali said they discussed ssues to be raised against the BJP government in the upcoming elections.
Mussafir, who served as Speaker during Virbhadra Singh rule from March 2003 to December 2007, said besides highlighting "misrule" of Prem Kumar Dhumal government, Congress will raise issues concerning unemployed youths, apple farmers and government employees who are suffering from "misgovernance" of the BJP government in the state.
