Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh withdraws his resignation Shimla (Himachal Pradesh): In a significant development, Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Wednesday withdrew his resignation. Speaking to reporters, Himachal Congress in-charge Rajeev Shukla said Vikramaditya Singh has withdrawn his resignation. "A person man is not big but the organisation is big. There is no crisis (for the Sukwinder Singh Sukhu-led) government," added Shukla, a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Vikramaditya Singh had resigned from the post of minister on Wednesday morning. Vikramaditya became emotional remembering his father during a media conference.
"I am submitting my resignation to the Chief Minister and the Governor. There have been attempts to humiliate and undermine me from some quarters and, in spite of reservations, I supported the government," he had told reporters in the morning.
Trouble was mounting on the Congress since Tuesday when it lost the sole Rajya Sabha seat to the BJP with six of its members cross-voting in the poll. Vikramaditya Singh, son of former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, on Wednesday morning, had said he was "deeply hurt" by the transpiring going on over the past two days and said there is a need to ponder what went wrong for the Congress.
He said had he apprised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi about the developments.
Soon after Vikramaditya's resignation, the Congress swung into action and deputed senior leaders including Rajiv Shukla and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to the hill state to douse the fire.
Earlier in the day, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu had said he had not resigned as the Chief Minister. "I am a fighter. I hail from a humble family. We will win this battle and also prove a majority in the Legislative Assembly," he told reporters here.
Six Congress MLAs on Tuesday voted in favour of the BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha polls in Himachal Pradesh. Mahajan was elected to the Rajya Sabha defeating Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
In a separate development, Congress Observers DK Shivkumar and Bhupendra Singh Hooda met Congress MLAs at a hotel in Shima. Sources from the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) said that the observers have spoken to all the Congress MLAs in a hotel in Shimla.
During this, election in-charge Bhupesh Baghel and Himachal in-charge Rajiv Shukla were also present. Now the observers will submit their report to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
It is understood that the central observers held one-on-one meetings with party MLAs, but the six legislators who cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha polls were not in town.
The six MLAs who revolted against the party had already left for Panchkula in Haryana before the observers arrived. Sources further said that during the meeting discussions were being held and feedback was taken from MLAs.
Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, who met the observers, said some of the rebels are in contact with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the Congress top brass. (With PTI inputs)
