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Allegations fly thick amid HP political turmoil
BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan had won against Congress’ Abhishek Manu Singhvi despite the grand old party enjoying a clear majority, with 40 MLAs in a 68-strong assembly
Amid the political turmoil in Himachal Pradesh after six Congress legislators cross-voted in Rajya Sabha polls, allegations and flying thick and high between the ruling Congress and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) .
BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan had won against Congress’ Abhishek Manu Singhvi despite the grand old party enjoying a clear majority, with 40 MLAs in a 68-strong assembly. While six Congress MLAs had cross-voted, the three independents had also voted in favour of the BJP.
Reacting to chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu terming the rebels MLAs as “black snakes and traitors”, Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma took to micro-blogging platform “X”, apparently calling the CM a “crab”.
“Snakes are better than crabs, they are a necklace around Shiva’s neck,” Sudhir said in the post.
Sudhir has since been disqualified along with five other MLAs who cross-voted. The six MLAs were disqualified for violating the party whip by not voting on the financial bill at the end of the budget session.
Sukhu’s government had reportedly retaliated against the rebel MLAs, Sudhir Sharma (Dharamshala), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Badsar), Ravi Thakur (Lahaul and Spiti), Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), Chaitanya Sharma (Gagret ) and Devender Bhutto (Kutlehar). They MLAs, along with the independents, have alleged that pressure tactics, such as demolishing roads leading to their houses, raiding their businesses and filing cases, were being used the government.
“The government should tell the people why it had placed its MLAs under the y plus security. Why such a need has arisen? People of Himachal Pradesh have always rejected the politics of horse-trading,” said Communist Party of India( Marxist) leader and former Shimla mayor Sanjay Chauhan.
Vikramaditya meets party high command
Public works minister Vikramaditya Singh, who is in New Delhi, has reportedly met Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal.
Those privy to the details said that Vikramaditya apprised them of the political situation in Himachal and also took up the case of the six Congress legislators who have been disqualified.
