In a new twist in the political crisis in Himachal Pradesh, minister Vikramaditya Singh took back his resignation, hours after he quit the post alleging humiliation. Singh withdrew his resignation after a meeting with the Congress observers—Bhupesh Baghel, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and D.K. Shivakumar—who had been dispatched to Shimla by party president Mallikarjun Kharge.
“It is the responsibility of every individual to strengthen the organisation. In the larger interest and unity of the party, the resignation by me in the morning, which the CM refused to accept, I would not like to press it further. There was no danger (to the government); it was just a creation,” he said.
Singh, the Public Works Minister, had announced in the morning that he was quitting the council of ministers and would submit his resignation to the chief minister and the governor.
“There have been attempts to humiliate and undermine me from some quarters, and in spite of reservations, I supported the government,” he had said.
Singh is the son of Himachal Congress president Pratibha Singh. His father Virbhadra Singh was a former chief minister who died in 2021.
The dramatic turn of events began unfolding in the hill state on Wednesday after Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost the Rajya Sabha election as several party MLAs cross-voted for the BJP.
Singhvi was defeated by BJP’s Harsh Mahajan on Tuesday through a draw of lots after the two candidates bagged 34 votes each. In the 68-member House, the Congress has 40 seats and the support of three independents, while the BJP has only 25 members.
The Rajya Sabha poll results rang alarm bells for the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government, with reports claiming that the BJP is likely to bring a no-confidence motion in the assembly later this week.
In a damage control exercise, Congress chief Kharge sent three observers to Shimla to talk to the disgruntled MLAs and Singh.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Kharge has asked the observers and AICC in-charge for the state Rajeev Shukla to speak to all MLAs, including those who are disgruntled, and submit a comprehensive report to him soon. “The Congress will not hesitate to take some tough steps as the party is our priority and will not let the people’s mandate be betrayed in Himachal Pradesh,” Ramesh told reporters in Delhi.
On the prevailing political crisis in the state, Singh said the six MLAs, who cross-voted for the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha election, not him, are responsibe for the situation.
“The ongoing situation should be blamed on our MLAs, who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha election, not me. I haven’t taken my resignation back. All that I am saying is that I won’t press my resignation until the final outcome of the ongoing visit of central observers is known. I will take my final call in due course,” he said. Congress MP Rajeev Shukla said, “Our party observers are in Shimla, speaking to the dissident MLAs and listening to their misgivings. They met the PCC Chief and, thereafter, held discussions with Vikramaditya Singh as well. CM Sukhvinder Sukhu has said he is not going to accept his (Vikramaditya’s) resignation and the minister, I am told, has agreed not to press his resignation as of now.”
