Not resigned, govt will complete full five-year term: Himachal CM

Shimla, Feb 28 (IANS)​​ – Amid a political crisis, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu clarified that he has not resigned and the Congress government intends to complete its full term. Reports about Sukhu offering to quit were dismissed by him, as he stated, “I haven’t offered any resignation. I am a warrior, will keep fighting.”

Regarding his Cabinet colleague Vikramaditya Singh’s resignation, Sukhu mentioned, “He is my brother. He has some grievances and he has talked to me many times. Will sort it out.” The Congress Legislative Party is scheduled to meet in the evening, and observers have been asked to speak to all MLAs in the state to prepare a comprehensive report on the crisis.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh emphasized the party’s commitment to saving the government in Himachal Pradesh. He stated, “Right now, our priority is to save our Congress government because the Congress party had received a clear mandate in December 2022. The people of Himachal Pradesh had rejected the PM, Jagat Prakash Nadda, Anurag Thakur, and Jai Ram Thakur. The mandate was for the Congress party. So, this mandate should be respected.”

Ramesh also criticized the Modi government, claiming, “The Modi government has just one guarantee — topple all Congress Governments. We will not let this happen.” In a surprising turn of events, six Congress MLAs cross voted in the poll for the lone Rajya Sabha seat, with three Independent MLAs also supporting the BJP candidate. This resulted in both Congress and BJP having an equal strength of 34 MLAs.