Fresh turn in Himachal political crisis as buzz on PWD Minister Vikramaditya meeting 6 disqualified Congress MLAs at Chandigarh hotel
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Strap: His mother Pratibha Singh had justified the ‘grouse’ of rebel legislators
TNR Desk
The crisis within the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh refuses to die down with tensions between PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu appearing to be unresolved.
Sources close to the matter said Vikramaditya’s discontent with CM Sukhu persisted, further exacerbating the political turmoil in the state.
On Thursday (February 29, 2024) night, Vikramaditya is learnt to have made an unexpected visit to Chandigarh following a cabinet meeting. Reports suggested that he met the six rebel Congress MLAs who have been putting up at a prominent hotel in the city. These MLAs were disqualified from the Assembly on Thursday by Speaker Kuldeep Pathania for cross-voting for the BJP candidate in the recent Rajya Sabha election.
Sources said Vikramaditya arrived in Chandigarh without any security detail and subsequently proceeded to travel to Delhi, abandoning his vehicle in Chandigarh. However, no formal statement has been issued regarding the travel.
Amidst the escalating political crisis, the Congress had issued a directive mandating all its MLAs to remain stationed in Shimla and refrain from departing under any circumstances. On Thursday, Congress observers DK Shivkumar and Bhupinder Singh Hooda had maintained that the situation within the party was under control in Himachal Pradesh. They reaffirmed Sukhu’s position as the Chief Minister, despite the growing dissent within party ranks.
The political drama in Himachal Pradesh refuses to die down as Shimla-rural Congress MLA Vikramaditya Singh has been keeping his party leadership guessing regarding his resignation.
Son of six-term late Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Vikramaditya had tendered his resignation as PWD Minister on Wednesday (February 28, 2024). He had even stayed away from Chief Minister Sukhu’s breakfast meeting for all Congress MLAs at the latter’s official residence Oak Over on Thursday morning.
Vikramaditya, however, had later withdrawn his resignation and even attended the cabinet meeting on Thursday evening. His mother and Himachal Congress president Pratibha Singh, on the other hand, had justified the grievances of the disqualified MLAs, emphasising the importance of listening to party members’ concerns. “Definitely, why not? When it has been more than a year and you take no cognisance or listen to them, it is natural for them to be upset,” she asserted.
