The Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government has passed the Himachal Pradesh Budget and has thereby reduced the chances of non-completion of the government’s full term.
Shimla: In a major update on the political crisis in Himachal Pradesh, the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government has managed to retain power in Himachal Pradesh. By passing the budget, it has cleared the possibility of a no-trust vote demanded by BJP lawmakers as the Himachal Pradesh Assembly was adjourned indefinitely.
Cong Observers Meet MLAs one-on-one
Congress’s central observers Bhupinder Singh Hooda and D K Shivakumar held one-on-one meetings with party MLAs at a hotel near the Vidhan Sabha building here, but the six legislators who cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha polls were not in the town.
Hooda and Shivakumar reached Shimla Wednesday evening to diffuse the crisis in the Congress party following the revolt by six MLAs, but they had already left for Panchkula in Haryana before the observers arrived.
During the meeting at the Cecil Hotel here, discussions were being held and feedback taken from MLAs, sources said. State Congress in-charge Rajiv Shukla was also present at the meetings.
Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, who met the observers, said some of the rebels are in contact with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the Congress high command. Sukhu said, “We are forgiving in nature but the MLAs who cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha elections in favour of the BJP candidate should have respected the party’s ideology.”
Congress Evaluating All Options
As the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh faces threats, the party on Wednesday said it was weighing all options and would not hesitate in taking “tough decisions” to ensure that the people’s mandate given to it is respected.
Six Congress MLAs voted in favour of the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, with sources claiming they are “disappointed” with the working style of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
Addressing reporters here, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said party president Mallikarjun Kharge has despatched three senior observers — Bhupesh Baghel, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and D K Shivakumar — to Shimla. AICC in-charge of state Rajeev Shukla is also in the hill state.
Ramesh said Congress president Kharge has asked observers and Shukla to speak with all MLAs, including those disgruntled, hear their point of view, and submit a comprehensive report to him soon. The future course of action will be decided after that, he said. Party sources said the report is likely to be submitted to Kharge by Thursday evening. At the press conference at the AICC headquarters, Ramesh said the Congress chief’s priority is to ensure that the party gets a decisive mandate, which should be protected.
“The individuals are not important, the party’s interest is supreme. More than the party’s interest it is the mandate of the people that was given in December 2022,” Ramesh asserted.
The BJP was trying to come to power in Himachal Pradesh through the “backdoor”, he said, adding that the BJP did so in Goa, Madhya Pradesh and the latest attempt is in Himachal Pradesh. He also said that accountability will be fixed for cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha poll in the state, which the Congress nominee Abhishek Singhvi lost.
“Our priority is to save Congress government. The people of Himachal rejected the prime minister (Narendra Modi), BJP president J P Nadda and Jairam Thakur and gave a clear mandate to the Congress…We will not allow the Modi government to bring down the Congress government,” he said.
All options are open and the mandate that the Congress got has to be respected, Ramesh said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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