After six Congress MLAs voted in favour of the Bharatiya Janata party candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls in Himachal Pradesh, the party’s top leadership swung into action to pacify the disgruntled legislators lawmakers and save the government.
Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh announced his resignation from the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu cabinet. Vikramaditya Singh, as he announced his resignation, said he was “deeply hurt” with the transpirings over the past two days and said there’s a need to ponder what went wrong for the Congress. He said he has apprised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi about the developments and the ball is now in the party high command’s court.
“The Congress party had made promises to the people and we owe the responsibility to fulfil those promises and I would decide my future course of action after consulting my supporters,” Vikramaditya Singh said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appointed senior leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and D K Shivakumar to engage with the six MLAs, who are learnt to be “disappointed” with the working style of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and are seeking his replacement.
Sources said former Haryana chief minister Hooda and Karnataka deputy chief minister Shivakumar would reach Shimla early Wednesday to take stock of the situation as the Congress government in the state faces an existential crisis.
The six MLAs had left Shimla for Haryana after casting their votes in the Rajya Sabha polls. They are learnt to be in touch with the BJP, amid signs of a crisis engulfing the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh.
Meanwhile , Himachal Pradesh speaker suspends 15 BJP MLAs, including leader of opposition Jai Ram Thakur, adjourns House.
