Cong govt in HP not in ‘danger’ now, Vikramaditya speaks to Delhi: AICC sources

NEW DELHI, (PTI): The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh is ”not in danger” and will complete its five-year term, party sources claimed on Monday and indicated that state minister Vikramaditya Singh had spoken with the AICC leadership.

They also said the leadership has faith in Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and the work he has done till now. A change in leadership, therefore, seems unlikely for now, the sources said.

”The government is in majority and will serve the people of Himachal Pradesh for the full five years, and any attempt to crush the mandate with the help of money power will not succeed,” a party source involved in fire-fighting the political crisis in the state said.

Action has been taken against the rebel MLAs under the anti-defection law which prohibits the ”Aayaram-Gayaram” tactics, the sources said.

The people of Himachal Pradesh also do not like such politics, they added.

After the disqualification of six MLAs under the anti-defection law, the number of MLAs in the House now remains at 62 and the government has more support than the majority figure of 32, the sources claimed.

The BJP and rebel MLAs are only spreading false news about the government. The rebel MLAs themselves are ”apologising and sending feelers” they claimed.

The sources also said Minister Vikramaditya Singh, the son of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh Congress’ state unit president Pratibha Singh, has spoken with senior AICC leaders and conveyed his issues.

Chief Minister Sukhu’s objective has been to build a self-reliant Himachal Pradesh, with better education and health, and he is continuously working on it, the sources said.

The Congress sources have been highlighting the programmes undertaken under the Sukhu government such as the implementation of the old pension scheme for the welfare of employees, job creation and increased revenue of the state, to indicate that a change of guard in unlikely.

In a setback for the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP last Tuesday won the state’s lone Rajya Sabha seat despite being in the minority with just 25 MLAs against 40 of the Congress as nine MLAs, including six from the Congress and three Independents, voted for BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan.

Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania had on Thursday disqualified six Congress MLAs — Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma and Devinder Kumar Bhutto — for abstaining from voting on the Cut Motion and the Finance Bill.

After cross-voting by the rebels in the Rajya Sabha polls, Vikramaditya had announced his resignation from the Cabinet on Wednesday but softened his stand by the evening after meeting the Congress observers, who said that the resignation had been withdrawn. (PTI)