Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) vice president Rajinder Rana leaving after a meeting.
Shimla:
Rajinder Rana, one of the six Himachal Pradesh Congress MLAs who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha elections and were later disqualified from the Assembly, today rejected Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu’s claim that some rebel MLAs want to return. Insisted that at least nine party MLAs were in touch with him.
He also accused Mr Sukhu of misleading people with his statements.
“Nobody wants to return. On the other hand, at least nine more MLAs are in touch with us,” Mr Rana told the Press Trust of India.
Mr Sukhu, on the other hand, claimed that “80 per cent of the Congress is together” and the rest are dissatisfied over “trivial issues”. He claimed that he discussed with the six disqualified MLAs and the situation will definitely be better after the formation of the coordination committee.
About cross voting in the Rajya Sabha election for the state’s only seat, Mr Rana said, “We took this decision to maintain the honor of Himachal Pradesh and its people.” “Did the Congress not have any candidate from among the party workers in the state who could represent Himachal Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha?” He asked.
Asked whether there would have been a possibility of cross-voting if Sonia Gandhi had contested the elections in place of Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Mr Rana said, “She has contributed a lot to the country and has been the Congress president. If she had contested from here, it would have happened.” ” This is a different matter.”
In a surprise upset for the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP on Tuesday won the state’s lone Rajya Sabha seat with its candidate Harsh Mahajan defeating veteran Congress leader Singhvi, setting the stage for a no-confidence motion in the Assembly.
Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, another disqualified Congress MLA, told the Press Trust of India, “Some people will now call us rebels or traitors. But we are not. We listened to our conscience. It was our personal decision.”
However, Mr Sukhu claimed, “80 per cent of the Congress is together and the rest are angry with us over small things. It is my responsibility to clarify things, so I have discussed with them (the six disqualified Congress MLAs). “
Regarding BJP’s claim that the Himachal Pradesh government may fall, the Chief Minister said, ‘BJP’s morale is high after cross-voting but such a situation will not arise again.’
When asked about the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Sukhu said, “After the formation of the coordination committee, the situation will definitely improve. We will contest the Lok Sabha elections with full strength. Congress has provided honest and transparent governance in the state.” State in the last 14 months.”
Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Thursday disqualified six Congress MLAs who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha elections for abstaining from voting on the budget in the Assembly.
One of the disqualified MLAs said they would appeal against the Speaker’s order in the Supreme Court.
Six rebel Congress MLAs had abstained from voting on the cut motion and Finance Bill (Budget) in the Assembly, violating the party whip to vote in favor of the government. The ruling Congress had demanded his disqualification on this basis.
The disqualified MLAs are Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma and Devinder Kumar Bhutto.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
