Shimla: After having six of its MLAs aligning with the BJP in the Rajya Sabha elections and the Opposition pressing for a division of votes to pass the state budget, the crisis within the Congress party in Himachal Pradesh has deepened with Vikramaditya Singh, the public works department (PWD) minister and son of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, tendering his resignation from the cabinet Wednesday.
Holding a press conference, flanked by two MLAs — Nand Lal and Mohan lal Brakta (chief parliamentary secretary) — Vikramaditya said that several deliberate attempts had been made by the Congress to humiliate him and some legislators.
During the press conference, he broke down, saying that the government has failed to allot a small chunk of land for a statue of Virbhadra Singh on the Ridge in Shimla. “Messages were sent to my department to undermine us. It is a fact that MLAs have been sidelined in the past one year. I have raised this issue many times,” he said.
“I have always respected the leadership and the CM and contributed toward running the government with due discipline. I can tell you with 100 percent conviction that in the last one year as a minister in the Congress Government, we have supported the government with all our strength,” he added.
However, Vikramaditya has clarified that he is in the Congress and not going anywhere.
“In the times to come, I will hold deliberations with my people, supporters, and well-wishers. After due discussions, we will decide on future course of action.”
He had also spoken to Priyanka Gandhi Tuesday night and apprised her of the situation in Himachal, said a senior Congress leader. “Vikramaditya Singh has expressed his inability to work with the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and urged her to initiate steps to save the government in the hill state,” the party leader told ThePrint.
This blow comes at a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is demanding a division of votes in the Assembly to pass the state’s budget.
Vikramaditya is a two-time MLA and leader of the former CM Virbhadra’s loyalist faction in the state. His resignation has worsened the situation for the Congress in the state, which is trying to save the party’s lone government in North India.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)