Cong chief ticks off Himachal minister Anirudh over controversial remarks amid mosque controversy
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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is learnt to have ticked off Himachal Pradesh Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh for making controversial remarks against a particular religion.
Sources said Kharge has told Congress state in-charge Rajeev Shukla and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to ensure that such language from any leader or minister was not tolerated.
The sources said the action followed a meeting on Sunday in Delhi where Congress MP and poet Imran Pratapgarhi raised the issue with Kharge. AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi had earlier criticised Anirudh’s comments, questioning on social media platform X whether the BJP or Congress was running the government in Himachal Pradesh.
All began after beaten up of trader
The controversy comes amid ongoing protests in Sanjauli over the construction of an allegedly illegal mosque. Residents have been demanding the mosque’s demolition, a matter that has been sub judice for the past 14 years. The situation escalated when a businessman was allegedly attacked by Muslim youths during a fight in nearby Malyana area (falling under Anirudh’s Assembly seat), triggering mass protests.
In the Assembly, Anirudh expressed concern about illegal migrants in Himachal, suggesting that rising tensions were due to rapid construction by individuals he feared could be Rohingya or from Bangladesh. “What kind of situation is developing in the state? New people are coming in every day… People from the Jamaat are arriving and there’s no trace of where they are coming from. Are they Rohingyas? I personally know a few people who have come from Bangladesh. They should be verified,” he said during his speech in the Assembly.
Minister calls for check on vendors
Anirudh also raised concerns over the increasing number of street vendors from a particular community and questioned how the registered number of vendors had jumped from 190 to 1,900. He demanded that vending permits be restricted to bonafide residents of Himachal Pradesh to safeguard local livelihoods.
Further, he highlighted alleged illegal construction at the Sanjauli mosque, which he claimed had contributed to tensions in the area. The minister called for an investigation into the mosque’s construction, stating that the structure was built without proper approvals.
He also flagged rising thefts in the Sanjauli market. He urged the government to verify people entering Himachal from other states and pass laws reserving street vending permits for local residents.
