Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh resigned as public works minister in the Himachal Pradesh government amid the brewing discontent over Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu’s leadership.
“All I would like to say is that under the current circumstances, it is not correct for me to continue as a part of the government. So, I have decided that I am resigning from the Council of Ministers. In the time to come, I will have video consultations with my people and then decide about the future course of action,” Singh told a press conference.
Singh’s resignation comes a day after six Congress MLAs cross-voted in Rajya Sabha elections, resulting in an embarrassing defeat of party candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The cross-voting in Rajya Sabha polls and resignation of Vikramaditya Singh have brought the rift between factions loyal to CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and state unit chief Pratibha Singh out in open.
Vikramaditya Singh, son of Pratibha Singh and former CM Virbhadra Singh, said the government was formed with everyone’s contribution but the MLAs were overlooked and attempts were made to stifle their voices.
“The (state) government failed to find even a small piece of land on Mall Road to install the statue of a person (Virbhadra Singh) who was the CM of Himachal Pradesh six times, because of whom this government was formed,” he lamented.