In a fresh twist in the political crisis in Himachal Pradesh, minister Vikramaditya Singh took back his resignation on Wednesday evening, hours after he quit the post, alleging humiliation.
Singh withdrew his resignation after a meeting with the Congress observers—Bhupesh Baghel, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and D.K. Shivakumar—who had been dispatched to Shimla by party president Mallikarjun Kharge.
"It is the responsibility of every individual to strengthen the organisation. In the larger interest and unity of the party, the resignation by me in the morning, which the CM refused to accept, I would not like to press it further. There was no danger (to the government); it was just a creation,” he said.
Singh, the Public Works Minister, had announced in the morning that he was quitting the council of ministers and would submit his resignation to the chief minister and the governor.
"There have been attempts to humiliate and undermine me from some quarters, and in spite of reservations, I supported the government," he had said.
Singh is the son of Himachal Congress president Pratibha Singh. His father Virbhadra Singh was a former chief minister who died in 2021.
The dramatic turn of events began unfolding in the hill state on Wednesday after Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost the Rajya Sabha election as several party MLAs cross-voted for the BJP.
Singhvi was defeated by BJP's Harsh Mahajan on Tuesday through a draw of lots after the two candidates bagged 34 votes each. In the 68-member House, the Congress has 40 seats and the support of three independents, while the BJP has only 25 members.
The Rajya Sabha poll results rang alarm bells for the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government, with reports claiming that the BJP is likely to bring a no-confidence motion in the assembly later this week.
In a damage control exercise, Congress chief Kharge sent three observers to Shimla to talk to the disgruntled MLAs and Singh.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Kharge has asked the observers and AICC in-charge for the state Rajeev Shukla to speak to all MLAs, including those who are disgruntled, and submit a comprehensive report to him soon.
"The Congress will not hesitate to take some tough steps as the party is our priority and will not let the people's mandate be betrayed in Himachal Pradesh," Ramesh told reporters in Delhi.
Chaos in assembly
The state assembly witnessed unruly scenes in the morning as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan moved a motion seeking the suspension of BJP MLAs for allegedly disrespecting the Speaker. The motion was adopted by voice vote, and the Speaker axed 15 MLAs.
The BJP members refused to leave the House, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the House till 12 pm.
In the afternoon, the House passed the Finance Bill by voice vote, with no BJP member being present. The Speaker then adjourned the session sine die.
