Aggravating the Congress’s problems in Himachal Pradesh where Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s government is on the brink, Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh resigned as public works minister in the state after accusing the chief minister of overlooking MLAs and disrespecting his father and Congress’s tallest leader in the hill state, the late Virbhadra Singh.
“All I would like to say is that under the current circumstances, it is not correct for me to continue as a part of the government. So, I have decided that I am resigning from the Council of Ministers. In the time to come, I will have video consultations with my people and then decide about the future course of action,” Singh told a press conference.
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Singh, son of senior Congress leader Pratibha Singh and former CM Virbhadra Singh, said the government was formed with everyone’s contribution but the MLAs were overlooked and attempts were made to stifle their voices.
Addressing the media, Singh said the developments in the hill state are a cause for concern. “We need to go into the background and see what led to this situation. I would like to rewind your memory. The 2022 Assembly elections were found and won under the collective leadership of then Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, state Congress chief Pratibha Singh and campaign committee head and current Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. There is no doubt that the polls were fought in the name of former Chief Minister, late Virbhadra Singh. There was no banner or poster that did not have his photo. A day before the polls, a full-page newspaper ad had his photo with the message, ‘Remember me, vote in my name’. This is a matter of record,” he said.
Tearing up while remembering his father, Singh said, “Someone who was the CM of the state for 6 times, due to whom this Government was formed in the state – they could not find a small space for his statue at Mall Road. This is the respect this Government has shown to my late father. We are emotional people, we have nothing to do with posts…But this is very unfortunate…I am very hurt, not politically but emotionally…”
His resignation comes amid dramatic developments over the past 24 hours during the Rajya Sabha elections. The election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Himachal has turned out to be a battle of survival for the Congress government.
Despite having an absolute majority with 40 MLAs and the support of 3 Independents in a 68-member assembly, Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost to BJP’s Harsh Mahajan when 9 MLAs cross-voted in favour of the saffron party.