Himachal Pradesh political crisis: Minister Vikramaditya Singh withholds his resignation
Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh
Congress minister Vikramaditya Singh on Wednesday (Feb 28) stated that he will withhold his resignation until the observers' report is submitted.
He emphasised the distinction between retracting the resignation and deferring its press until the conclusion of the dialogue.
Singh mentioned, "We have engaged with the observers, apprising them of the current situation. I will refrain from pressing my resignation until a decision is reached. The ultimate resolution will be determined in the near future."
On Tuesday, the BJP secured victory in Himachal Pradesh's sole Rajya Sabha seat, as their candidate Harsh Mahajan defeated the Congress veteran Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The competition concluded with both Congress and BJP candidates receiving 34 votes each, indicating that at least six Congress MLAs voted against their party. The final outcome was determined through a draw of lots.
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In the 68-member assembly, the Congress holds 40 seats, while the BJP has 25 legislators in Himachal. The remaining three seats are occupied by independent members.
Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Jairam Thakur, after conferring with party legislators in Shimla, remarked, "The Speaker has suspended 15 BJP MLAs from the House; this suspension was undoubtedly executed to safeguard the government. If the budget motion had not passed today, it would have confirmed that the government had lost its majority."
Congress leaderJairam Rameshaccused the BJP of attempting to overthrow the Congress government in the state. He asserted that the party leadership would not hesitate to make tough decisions, emphasising the supremacy of the party.
"Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and AICC in-charge Rajeev Shukla are actively involved. They have engaged with the Congress president, who has instructed them to convene meetings and attentively address the grievances and demands of all MLAs," stated Jairam Ramesh.
He further remarked, "Cross-voting occurred, but dealing with the conspiracy to destabilise the Congress government — the steps to be taken by the party to counter this 'Operation Lotus' — the Congress president has directed these senior colleagues to interact with everyone, gather their perspectives, and submit a report promptly."
During the Wednesday (Feb 28) assembly session, the Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly expelled 15 BJP MLAs, including LoP Jairam Thakur, Vipin Singh Parmar, Randheer Sharma, Lokender Kumar, Vinod Kumar, Hans Raj, Janak Raj, Balbir Verma, Trilok Jamwal, Surender Shori, Deep Raj, Puran Thakur, Inder Singh Gandhi, Dileep Thakur, and Inder Singh Gandhi. The expulsion was reportedly a consequence of their involvement in disruptive behaviour, including shouting slogans, within the Speaker's chamber.
(With inputs from agencies)