Some MLAs were upset with the government over the crackdown on “mining and stone crushing” mafia in the State, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu said on March 3.
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, Mr. Sukhu said the embarrassing loss for the party in the Rajya Sabha elections happened because of his “wrong assessment”. He alleged that there was a conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) as well as internally within the Congress party.
Mr. Sukhu asserted that now none will leave the party and everyone is committed to the Congress ideology.
“People of Himachal Pradesh have elected us for five years and I am working towards fulfilling our commitment to the people of the State. Some people, who have vested interest may be troubled with the crackdown on corruption by my government but I will continue my work,” he said.
Expressing confidence that the Congress government in the State will complete its full tenure, he said the party is preparing for the Lok Sabha elections.
Rebel Congress MLAs were angry because of government action against the ‘mining and stone crushing mafia’, says Himachal Pradesh CM
As the Congress in Himachal Pradesh firefights to save its government, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu spoke to The Hindu over phone on the crisis and plans ahead. Excerpts:
The Congress had 40 members in the 68-member Assembly, yet you lost the recent Rajya Sabha elections. And your government now faces a crisis?
As far as the six MLAs are concerned, some of them were angry with my government. At least, three of them were angry that the government had started taking action against the ‘mining and stone crushing mafia’ after our State faced natural calamity and flash floods. Then, there were others who wanted to be made Ministers. The three independent MLAs, who were supporting us, were actually BJP rebels. So, there was a conspiracy by the BJP as well as internally within our party. Our MLAs were flown to BJP-ruled Haryana by helicopter under the protection of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
But the rebel MLAs have questioned your style of functioning?
I had spoken to some of the MLAs before the Rajya Sabha elections. They had breakfast with us even on the day of the election. But I agree my assessment somewhat went wrong.
Some say if the party had fielded a Himachali like Anand Sharma instead of Abhishek Singhvi, your party would have won the elections.
On the day of voting, only one MLA made this point to me. We had sufficient numbers to win the Rajya Sabha seat.
Is the crisis over now? The rebels have said they are in touch with 9-10 Congress MLAs.
I can say that now there is none who will leave the party and everyone is committed to the Congress ideology. As far as I am concerned, people of Himachal Pradesh have elected us for five years and I am working towards fulfilling our commitment to the people of the State. Some people, who have vested interest may be troubled with the crackdown on corruption by my government but I will continue my work.
Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh has said that the BJP is better placed than the Congress in terms of contesting an election.
What can I say about it? I think only Pratibha ji can explain what she would have meant by it.
Pratibha Singh and former Chief Minister the late Virbhadra Singh’s son, Vikramaditya Singh, first resigned as a Minister in your government and then took it back. He said the Congress had used his father’s name in seeking votes and now he feels humiliated.
Well, Virbhadra Singh ji is not just his [Vikramditya] father but was one of our most respected leaders. He has always been part of the Congress’ ideology and legacy. I don’t wish to drag him in this episode. As I said before, we have a mandate to serve the people and that should be our priority.
How will the Congress fare in the bypolls if there is no stay on the disqualification of the six MLAs?
We will win all the six seats. If there are Assembly elections today in Himachal, we will win two-thirds of the majority.
Is there any possibility of a rapprochement?
In politics, there is always scope for rapprochement and doors are always open for everyone.
What is the road ahead for you and the Congress party?
We will run the government in the State, and it will complete its full tenure with cooperation and assistance from all the quarters. We are all preparing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and along with the Pradesh Congress Committee chief, we will work together and win the elections.
