E-Paper
'CM Sukhu has small heart, mindset': Himachal Congress MLA on disqualification
Rajinder Rana said that the MLAs who went against the grand old party have faced police actions against their supporters.
Himachal Pradesh's disqualified Congress MLA Rajinder Rana took a vitriolic jibe at chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over the disqualification of the six MLAs who cross-voted for the BJP candidate in the recently held Rajya Sabha polls. He said Sukhu has a small heart and a small mindset.
Read here: Rajinder Rana, one of 6 expelled MLAs, explains why they rebelled in Himachal
Rana said that he will challenge the speaker's decision of the disqualification of the rebel MLAs in the court as it was arbitrarily decided under pressure. "We will soon go to court because the Speaker has arbitrarily decided to disqualify these members under pressure. The law has not been given due consideration. The Chief Minister of the state has a small heart and a small mindset," he said to ANI.
Rana has also claimed that nine more party legislators “feeling suffocated” by Sukhu’s style of functioning were in touch with them.
In an interview with news agency PTI, Rana alleged that CM Sukhu’s “friends” were running the state government. He claimed that the elected representatives, especially the ministers, were feeling “suffocated and humiliated”.
He also termed Sukhu “liar number one” and alleged that he was trying to twist the facts.
He further said that the MLAs who went against the grand old party have faced police actions against their supporters.
"Those legislators who engaged in cross-voting have faced police actions against their supporters in their homes. Those who had businesses have had their businesses shut down. Various pressures are being exerted on their supporters," he added.
In a defiant stand against perceived injustice, Rana emphasised the watchful eyes of Himachal Pradesh and the entire nation.
"The people of Himachal Pradesh and the entire nation are watching what is happening here. We stand with the pride of Himachal Pradesh, and we will not let their pride be hurt, and we are not going to negotiate with them," he added.
Read here: 9 more Himachal MLAs in talks with us: Congress rebel Rana
The political turmoil unfolded in Himachal Pradesh when the BJP claimed that the Sukhu-led government was in minority after the former won the state's lone Rajya Sabha seat defeating Congress in an election marred with cross-voting.
However, Sukhu affirmed that his government was in the majority and would complete its five-year term. Congress had deputed Bhupesh Baghel, DK Shivakumar and Bhupinder Hooda as observers to speak to the party MLAs and then submit a report to president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who was sent as one of the Congress' observers to Himachal Pradesh amid the political turmoil, had said that Sukhu has accepted that some sort of failure happened within the government and MLAs during the Rajya Sabha polls and a coordination committee between the party and the government with five to six members has been formed to tackle the situation.
Congress MLA Vikramaditya Singh, who resigned and then withdrew his resignation, continues to keep the Congress top brass guessing. Singh maintained that he would not press the issue of his resignation but he travelled to Panchkula to meet the party’s six rebel legislators, and then made his way to New Delhi amid speculation that he may be open to switching sides to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) earlier this week.
Read here: DK Shivakumar says CM Sukhu accepted 'some failure', Himachal Congress crisis over
Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania disqualified the six Congress MLAs who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha polls saying "Six MLAs, who contested on Congress symbol, attracted provisions of anti-defection law against themselves...I declare that the six people cease to be members of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly with immediate effect."
The six MLAs disqualified are Sudhir Sharma, Rajinder Rana, Davinder K Bhutto, Ravi Thakur, Chaitanya Sharma and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal.
(With inputs from ANI)
