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Amid the mounting political crisis in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu called late Congress leader Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya his "younger brother." Sukhu made the remarks on Wednesday, hours after Vikramaditya resigned as a minister following the Rajya Sabha poll debacle in the hill state, which has put the Congress government in crisis.
"I have spoken with Vikramaditya Singh, and he is my younger brother. There is no reason to accept his resignation. He has some grievances that will be solved," Sukhu said, when asked about Vikramaditya's resignation.
Why did Vikramaditya Singh resign?
The prominent Congress resigned from the cabinet earlier today, alleging that Sukhu had "humiliated" the Congress MLAs and disrespected his father, who was a former state CM. His resignation followed after six Congress MLAs cross-voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha polls, resulting in the saffron party's candidate Harsh Mahajan's victory, despite having only 25 MLAs in Himachal against the Congress' 40 MLAs strength.
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On his resignation, Vikramaditya said the Congress won the assembly election in his father's name but failed to acknowledge his contributions. "There have been attempts to humiliate and undermine me from some quarters, and in spite of reservations, I supported the government," he said.
On the alleged disrespect to his father, the Congress leader added, "After the victory (in polls) when the matter of putting up his statue came up, the government failed to decide the location. "It is not a political but an emotional thing for a son."
"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," he said.
Vibhadra Singh family's prominence in Himachal
Vibhadra Singh's family is one of the prominent families in the state and enjoys popularity among the locals. Singh was the longest-serving Himachal CM, and his wife, Pratibha Singh, serves as the Himachal Congress president. In the past, she has also expressed disgruntlement with Sukhu's leadership.
Notably, Pratibha had herself hoped to run in the CM race following the results of the 2022 Assembly election. However, when the Congress high command announced Sukhu's name, she said she had "accepted" the decision. She had noted that the party won the elections in her husband's name and that the Congress cannot "neglect" her family.
Amid the internal rift in the Congress government, when Vikramaditya was asked if he would switch to the BJP, the Congress leader said earlier today, "As of now, there is nothing like that."
