As the political crisis unfolds for the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congress observer for Himachal Pradesh, DK Shivakumar, is leaving for Himachal Pradesh after the party’s direction asking him to step in for crisis management.
Shivakumar also alleged of “horse-trading,” was going on in the hill state and said someday it will “boomerang.”
“Congress party has issued a direction that I should be there. I don’t know why BJP is in such a hurry…any government should have a strong opposition. It is not right, this type of horse-trading, someday it might boomerang…I am confident that all our legislators will be loyal to the party,” said DK Shivakumar.
As per the directions of the Congress high command, I am reaching #HimachalPradesh.
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) February 28, 2024
Also there is absolutely no need to indulge in any hearsay, as I am confident that Congress Party legislators will be loyal to the party and stay put with the mandate that has been accorded to…
In a post on X, Shivakumar stated, “There is absolutely no need to indulge in any hearsay, as I am confident that Congress Party legislators will be loyal to the party and stay put with the mandate that has been accorded to them.”
Interestingly, Shivakumar’s statement on the loyalty of Congress MLAs has come just a day after multiple Congress MLAs cross-voted for BJP, resulting in the loss of Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and the win of BJP’s Harsh Mahajan. These included Rajendra Rana, an MLA who had been demanding the ouster of Sukhu as CM.
Lamenting the cross-voting, Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi had stated that the MLAs had dinner with him the previous night and some of them had even sat down for breakfast with him.
Meanwhile in Shimla, as many as 15 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs of Himachal Pradesh were suspended from the House by Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Wednesday allegedly for creating ruckus in his chamber.
The 15 BJP MLAs who were suspended from the House include Jai Ram Thakur, Vipin Parmar, Randhir Sharma, Hans Raj, Vinod Kumar, Janak Raj, Balbir Verma, Lokinder Kumar, Trilok Jamwal, Surinder Shourie, Puran Chand, Dalip Thakur, Inder Singb Gandhi, Ranbir Nikka, and Deep Raj.
The BJP legislators were suspended by the Speaker after State Parliamentary Party Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan moved a proposal recommending the expulsion of the MLAs from the house.
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly was adjourned till 12 pm amid disruptions, with opposition members staging protests in the well of the House, proceedings of the house are yet to resume.
The BJP however has dubbed this a move by the Congress to prevent its government from toppling ahead of the Budget session.
BJP’s winning Rajya Sabha candidate Harsh Mahajan said, “Congress Government is toppling. So such attempts are being made – to suspend them. These are delay tactics and are followed in every Vidhan Sabha…Congress has dismantled from here. All the attempts they make now will fail. BJP will form the Government here…Nine MLAs (who cross-voted) are in my support…”
Delivering another blow to the party in state, Vikramaditya Singh, a powerful minister and son of the former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, stepped down from his position on Wednesday.
“All I would like to say is that under the current circumstances, it is not correct for me to continue as a part of the government. So, I have decided that I am resigning from the Council of Ministers. I am resigning as a minister,” Singh said.
The trouble for the government comes at a time when the Assembly’s annual Budget session is going on and ahead of voting on the state finance bill in the Assembly
(With inputs from ANI)
