Shimla, Oct 21 (PTI) Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday rejected suggestions linking his absence at the unveiling of veteran Congress leader Virbhadra Singh’s statue in Rampur to “factionalism” in the party’s Himachal Pradesh unit.
The statue of the six-time chief minister was unveiled on Sunday in Sarahan in the Rampur Bushahr subdivision of Shimla district.
The ceremony, held within the premises of the Maa Bhimakali Temple, was attended by several senior leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri; PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh and Pratibha Singh, the son and wife of Virbhadra Singh; Education Minister Rohit Thakur and MLAs.
Earlier this month, Pratibha Singh, who is a former state Congress chief, had openly expressed her displeasure over the absence of pictures of Virbhadra Singh from banners and posters during CM’s Sukhu programmes in Rampur and Rohru.
Rohru and Rampur assembly constituencies are considered the bastion of Virbhadra Singh, the former ruler of the erstwhile Bushahar State of Himachal Pradesh. Rampur is his hometown, while he had won five elections from Rohru.
Chief Minister Sukhu had visited the constituencies on October 2 and 3 and stayed overnight in both places. Pratibha Singh had said that it is unfortunate that the Congress government forgot the legacy of Vibhadra Singh in just four and a half years.
Earlier also Pratibha Singh and her son Vikramaditya Singh had taken up the issue of “ignoring” Virbhadra Singh with the Congress high command.
“Former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was a prominent leader in Himachal Pradesh, and showing respect toward him is part of the state’s political tradition,” said Sukhu on Wednesday and added that it is incorrect to attribute his absence to any internal conflict in the party.
Responding to a question, Sukhu said that senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, were present at the event when the statue was unveiled on The Ridge at Shimla.
He added that the unveiling of Virbhadra Singh’s statue “is a gesture of respect and reverence; it should not be viewed through the lens of political factionalism”.
In response to another question, Sukhu said that leaders “still contemplating leaving the Congress are free to do so”.
When asked about the controversy, Vikramaditya Singh said that it was a district-level event and should not be viewed through the “lens of factionalism”.
Among those present at the statue unveiling were former ministers Kaul Singh and Ram Lal Thakur, besides former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Neeraj Bharti, who is the son of sitting Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar and had been vocal against the Congress government. PTI BPL RT
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