Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh, son of the late former Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh, resigned from his position as PWD minister in the state on Wednesday.
Vikramaditya’s decision comes in the aftermath of internal party tensions triggered by the loss of the sole seat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday.
“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. In the time to come, I will have video consultations with my people and then decide about the future course of action,” Vikramaditya said during a press briefing.
Vikramaditya also emphasised the lack of acknowledgement shown by the current Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu-led government to his late father, who served as the Chief Minister of the state six times.
“Someone who was the CM of the state six times, due to whom this Government was formed in the state – they could not find a small space for his statue at Mall Road. This is the respect this Government has shown to my late father. We are emotional people, we have nothing to do with posts…But this is very unfortunate…I am very hurt, not politically but emotionally,” the Congress leader stated.
In response to inquiries about his future with the Congress, Vikramaditya said, “I am there where I am. In the times to come, I will hold due discussions and deliberations with my people, supporters, and well-wishers. After due discussions, we will take the future course of action.”
Later, in an exclusive interview with CNN News18, Vikramaditya made it clear that he is still a member of the Congress party and said he has forwarded his grievances to Chief Minister Sukhu and the party High Command in Delhi.
“I am a disciplined soldier of the party and I am sure that they will be addressed (the issues) in the time to come,” he said.
Referring to his demand to erect a statue of his late father on Shimla’s Mall Road, the former Minister said, “It is not about a piece of land. It is about due reverence, which the government should show to its former leaders and that was one particular instance that I had quoted… But in totality, there is no denying the fact that this government has been formed with collective efforts of all party leadership– of the honourable high command, and all leaders of the state… So we have to take everybody’s emotions, and everybody’s trust into confidence, and we have to give due respect to everybody that is what it is. We’ll speak about it to the high command.”
He informed that he had a word about his issues with Congress chief Mallikarjun Karge and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vardra, and said he was “sure they will look into it and undertake principle stands in times to come.”
When asked about the future of six rebel MLAs, Vikramaditya said it is in the hands of the party’s high command. “We will see how it goes, how the political situation unfolds… but I am sure everything will stabilize in time to come,” he added.
(With inputs from CNN News18 reporter Arun Dhanta and other agencies.)
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