Intense factionalism in the Himachal Pradesh Congress and discontent among the state leaders against Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu that had been simmering for many months boiled over during the Rajya Sabha elections. The shocking loss in the election for the upper house lays bare the deep divide in the Himachal Congress, and has pushed the party's only government in north India to the brink just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
An indication to the trouble that had been brewing in the Congress in the hill state was the party's decision to nominate former party chief Sonia Gandhi to the upper house from Rajasthan and not Himachal Pradesh as had been expected earlier. A senior Congress leader had then said Rajasthan was a safer bet compared to Himachal Pradesh because the latter has a much smaller assembly and hence a greater threat of cross voting spoiling the party's plans. On paper, the Congress was unbeatable, with 40 MLAs in the 68-member assembly, and three independent legislators supporting the government.
However, the party was left stunned when six of its MLAs and three independents voted in favour of the BJP nominee in the Rajya Sabha election in which the party's legal eagle Abhishek Manu Singhvi was the candidate. According to party sources, more than the issue about Singhvi being an outsider, the reason behind the stunning turn of events in the Rajya Sabha election was the infighting in the state unit and the discontent against Sukhu, who was the party high command's choice for the chief minister's post and who had been given a free hand in running the state.
Sukhu's rivals in the state unit, especially the faction headed by PCC chief Pratibha Singh - the widow of late chief minister Virbhadra Singh - and her son Vikramaditya Singh, had been complaining about the chief minister failing to give a fair representation to the leaders in the government set-up.
Vikramaditya Singh, who resigned as Public Works Minister in the Sukhu government today, told reporters after quitting that in the present circumstances, he felt it was not correct for him to continue as part of the government. He said he would have video consultations with his supporters before deciding on the future course of action.
The six MLAs who cross voted have claimed that 26 MLAs in the state want Sukhu to be replaced.
In the midst of a buzz that the BJP would now try and take advantage of the divisions in the Congress to try and topple the government, the party high command has rushed in to salvage the situation in the hill state. The BJP is claiming that the Sukhu government has, in the wake of the Rajya Sabha election outcome, lost its majority.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has despatched senior leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Bhupesh Baghel and D.K. Shivakumar as observers to Himachal Pradesh. They have been tasked with talking to all the MLAs and submit a comprehensive report on what needs to be done to fulfil the mandate given by the people of the state. The observers also have to submit a report on why the Congress lost in the Rajya Sabha election.
“Individuals are not important. The party's interest is supreme. And more than that, fulfilling the people's mandate is important,” Jairam Ramesh, AICC general secretary in charge of communications, told reporters in response to questions about whether Sukhu could be replaced as chief minister and whether accountability would be fixed for the embarrassing defeat of the party in the Rajya Sabha election.
