TNR Desk
Amid the resentment of Congress ministers and MLAs, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday (February 28, 2024) denied the rumours that he had offered to resign from his post.
Speaking to the media in the Vidhan Sabha during the budget session, he claimed his government would complete its full five-year term. He alleged that the resignation rumours were being spread by BJP MLAs and some of his Congress detractors due to vested interests. He maintained that he was loyal Congress soldier who had risen from the ranks and would not give up without fighting till the end.
Yashpal Sharma, officer on special duty to Chief Minister Sukhu, earlier put out a post on social media decrying the rumours around the resignation as “baseless”. “The reports of resignation of popular Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu are baseless. The observers appointed by the Congress high command have not yet reached Shimla. Do not believe in the rumours being spread by opposition BJP, which is hell bent on killing democracy. The party high command has full faith in the Chief Minister. All senior media colleagues are requested to avoid running baseless news,” said Yashpal Sharma.
There was buzz that Chief Minister Sukhu offered his resignation to the observers sent by the Congress high command to Shimla following the political crisis that erupted in the hill state after party nominee Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost the Rajya Sabha seat poll to BJP’s Harsh Mahajan on Tuesday. The Congress has deputed Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K Shivakumar, former Chief Ministers of Haryana and Chhattisgarh Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Bhupesh Baghel and state in-charge Rajeev Shukla to resolve the crisis.
There was speculation that the Congress could select a new Chief Minister by the evening as the observers were expected to talk to all the MLAs.
PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh, who is the son of six-term late Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, too resigned from his post in the morning. Without naming Chief Minister Sukhu, Vikramaditya alleged that he was insulted several times and no space was provided on the Ridge in Shimla for putting up an idol of his later father Virbhadra despite his immense contribution to the state’s development. He alleged that MLAs were also ignored, the result of which was visible during the election to the Rajya Sabha seat from the state on Tuesday, which the Congress lost despite having 40 MLAs compared to 25 of the BJP. “Now, the ball is in the court of the high command,” he said.
Rajinder Rana, a Congress MLA who “cross-voted”, had demanded that the Congress high command remove Sukhu from the post of CM.
