Himachal Pradesh political crisis updates: Assembly budget session adjourned sine die; Congress rushes observers to Shimla

Amid the political crisis in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to bring down the Congress government in the hill State has failed.

“The way they conspired to topple power in Himachal Pradesh with the CRPF, the Haryana Police, by sending helicopters has failed. The way they lured some MLAs by buying them has led to some MLAs siding with them. We’ve brought disqualification motion against them (Congress MLAs who voted for BJP candidate in Rajya Sabha polls) and hearing for the same is underway,” Mr. Sukhu said speaking to reporters on Wednesday.

- ANI

The State budget for 2024-25 has been passed in Himachal Pradesh State Assembly through a voice vote in the absence of the opposition. The House has been adjourned sine die.

- Vikas Vasudeva

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the BJP, that didn’t stand with the people of Himachal Pradesh when a natural disaster had hit the State, now wants to push it into political turmoil. 

“In a democracy, people have the right to choose the government of their choice. The people of Himachal used this right and formed the Congress government with a clear majority. But the BJP wants to crush this right of the people of Himachal by misusing the money power, central agencies and power of the Centre,” Ms Vadra said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). 

The Congress general secretary was one of the main campaigners for her party in the 2022 Assembly polls. 

She alleged that the way the BJP is using the government security apparatus to dislodge their government is “unprecedented in the history of the country”.

“If a party with 25 MLAs is challenging the majority of 43 MLAs, it clearly means that it is dependent on horse-trading of representatives. This attitude of theirs is unethical and unconstitutional,”she added.

- Sandeep Phukan

Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh told reporters that the observers will submit their report to the Congress president at the earliest after talking to all the MLAs and find out their grievances. “Our priority is to respect the mandate of the people of Himachal Pradesh and save the government,” he said.

Mr Ramesh said tough decisions will have to be taken and the party will do whatever it takes to save the government. He said accountability will be fixed for the cross voting episode. “The party is above any individual,” he said.

- Sandeep Phukan

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said he has not resigned and the government would complete its five years. He said several BJP leaders are in touch with him and he was ready to face all challenges.

Chief Minister Sukhu added “The Congress party is united and I can assure you that we will win in the voting for the Budget.”

- Vikas Vasudeva

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s media advisor Yashpal has denied the report of the resignation of the Chief Minister terming it as ‘baseless’. He said the observers appointed by the Congress’s central leadership (Bhupinder Hooda and D.K. Shivakumar) have not yet reached Shimla. “Do not believe the rumors being spread by the opposition. BJP is bent on killing democracy,” he said.

- PTI

The Congress top brass has rushed former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and DK Shivakumar to Shimla to parley with members of the party which is facing loss of support and risks losing power in the state.

Sources said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is learnt to have spoken to former party chief Rahul Gandhi as also general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on the Himachal developments.

They have been asked to engage with the disgruntled MLAs, including six MLAs, who are learnt to be “disappointed” with the working style of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and are seeking his replacement.

- PTI

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said if the party’s central leadership would want, he would resign. He has conveyed the offer to resign to the party high command.

Mr. Sukhu said the party is bigger than any individual, and if the party will ask him to resign he would resign without any hesitation.

- Vikas Vasudeva

“The Congress party had made promises to the people and we owe the responsibility to fulfil those promises and I would decide my future course of action after consulting my supporters,” Vikramaditya Singh said announcing his resignation earlier today.

He said that the 2022 Assembly election in the State was fought in the name of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, also his father. “There was no poster, or hoarding or banner which did not carry his picture. There was a full-page ad with his picture in the newspapers a day before voting.” But after victory when the matter of his statue came, the government failed to decide the location.

“It is not a political but an emotional thing for a son,” Vikramaditya Singh said.

- PTI

Even as the Himachal Pradesh Assembly is yet to resume after adjournment, the BJP MLAs, including those expelled, have not yet left the House. 

- Vikas Vasudeva

The BJP MLAs were suspended for “misbehaving” with marshalls outside Pathania’s office and creating disorder in the House.

Apart from Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur, the suspended MLAs are Vipin Parmar, Vinod Kumar, Hans Raj, Janak Raj, Balbir Verma, Trilok Jamwal, Deep Raj, Surinder Shouri, Puran Thakur, Inder Singh Gandhi, Dilip Thakur, Randhir Sharma, Lokender Kumar, and Ranvir Singh.

“We are apprehensive that Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania might suspend the BJP MLAs so that the budget can be passed in the Vidhan Sabha,” Mr. Thakur had told reporters earlier in the morning.

- PTI

Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania has expelled 15 BJP MLAs from the House in the ongoing Budget session of the State Assembly, including the Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur.

- Vikas Vasudeva

Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh announced his decision to quit from his position of the Minister. He is the son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

In Shimla, he said “I am resigning from the council of ministers. I have decided to step down as minister.”

“...there were from some quarters attempts to humiliate me in my functioning as a cabinet minister,” he added.

- Vikas Vasudeva

Six Congress MLAs, who voted for the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls in Himachal Pradesh, on left Haryana for an undisclosed location in a chopper.

The legislators, including Rajinder Rana and Ravi Thakur, spent last night in a hotel here and left for Tau Devi Lal Stadium in BJP-ruled Haryana’s Panchkula in the morning, said sources.

The MLAs had reached Haryana from Shimla on Tuesday after casting their votes in the Rajya Sabha polls. They are learnt to be in touch with the BJP, amid signs of a crisis engulfing the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh.

- PTI