Now sensing that an overwhelming majority of the party MLAs favoured fall of the coalition government under its own weight, the PCC president says, ``Party was his priority, government comes later.'' Perhaps Mahajan also knows that he had little in his hand to topple the government and it was Virbhadra Singh alone as CLP leader, who actually has to be the key-player. The MLAs also toe the Virbhadra Singh's line to let the government fall under its own weight.

Reliable sources said an overwhelming majority of the Congress MLAs have directly and indirectly told PCC president that Congress was also not in a position to topple the government. ``You, see practically, it is impossible since HVC president Sukh Ram is unwilling to pull out,'' a sitting Congress MLA maintains. And till Virbhadra Singh was CLP leader, Sukh Ram would never agree to extend his support to the party to form the government.

In fact, before the Congress MLAs reacted publicly against Mahajan's topple-plan, Sukh Ram hit out at the PCC president and warned him against making any propaganda about his possible return to the party. He spoke to Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and reaffirmed his party's support to the BJP.

The only fall-out of the Mahajan's claim to topple the government was that, Dhumal acted fast to hand over the HVC charge-sheet against Virbhadra Singh to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee recommending a CBI probe. Last week, Chief Minister nominated Sukh Ram to a high-power advisory committee of the government on employment generation and resource mobilisation besides appointing HVC's acting president Vijay Joshi as chairman of HP General Industries Corporation.

Things are not smooth within the Congress, especially after Mahajan had become the president. The new party executive which he had announced last month, though apparently seems to be a balanced one but a powerful section of the Virbhadra Singh loyalists have conveyed their displeasure.

Former Minister Chander Kumar, who had been nominated as party treasurer is unhappy while G.S.Bali, another vocal MLA has also threatened to quit his post as PCC secretary. ``However, before I take a final decision, I will see party president Sonia Gandhi along with Chander Kumar,'' Bali hinted.

Chander Kumar, who hails from Kangra, belongs to the OBC community. He has also goodwill among the OBCs in kangra and other districts like Hamirpur and Una. In fact, he also had been a claimanant for the post of PCC president from Virbhadra Singh camp.Some senior Congress leaders including former Speaker Vidya Stokes has hailed the formation of the PCC executive giving a greater representation to the younger leaders.