- TNR Desk
Himachal Pradesh’s Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Vikramaditya Singh has stirred controversy again by removing the Indian National Congress (INC) and ministerial bio from his Facebook profile, replacing these with ‘Sevak of Himachal’.
The ambiguity deepened when it was noted that Vikramaditya’s ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) handle still bore the PWD Minister’s tag.
The move has ignited speculation across social media platforms, especially following Vikramaditya’s meetings with six rebel Congress MLAs in Chandigarh on Friday (March 1, 2024).
Amid speculations on March 1 regarding Vikramaditya’s possible interactions with BJP stalwarts Amit Shah and Jagat Prakash Nadda, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu clarified that he had sanctioned the PWD Minister’s meetings while condemning the six rebel MLAs as “black snakes” and “traitors”.
The six rebel MLAs who cross-voted in favour of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan, resulting in the defeat of Congress’ nominee Abhishek Manu Singhvi, have been disqualified by the Himachal Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rakesh Pathania under the anti-defection law. The disqualified MLAs include Rajinder Singh Rana (Sujanpur), Sudhir Sharma (Dharamshala), Chaitanya Sharma (Gagret), Ravi Thakur (Lahaul-Spiti), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Barsar) and Davinder Bhutto (Kutlehar).
Inder Dutt Lakhanpal too has replaced Congress MLA in his Facebook bio with ‘Barsar ka sevak’. Rana has criticised the evolving narrative, highlighting the shifting perceptions of loyalty and identity within the political landscape.
Meanwhile, BJP sources suggest a directive from the high command to pursue their objectives in Himachal Pradesh, prompting key figures like former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and state unit president Rajeev Bindal to remain stationed in Shimla.
