Fresh setback for Congress as Himachal Minister Vikramaditya Singh resigns

In a fresh setback for Congress, Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Wednesday resigned from the cabinet.

Announcing the decision at a press conference, Singh said it would not be right for him to stay part of the government in the current circumstances.

The decision brought fore cracks in the party, which on Tuesday lost the sole Rajya Sabha seat to the BJP and is apparently scrambling to keep its members together to prevent the fall of its government. The election was spoilt for the Congress due to cross-voting by some of its members.

Sigh blamed it on the system prevailing under Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu where "MLAs were overlooked, and attempts were made to stifle their voices."

He accused the Congress of disrespecting his father and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister late Virbhadra Singh.

"Someone who was the CM of the state for 6 times, due to whom this Government was formed in the state - they could not find a small space for his statue at Mall Road. This is the respect this Government has shown to my late father," Sigh said in an emotional address.

"I am very hurt, not politically but emotionally," he added.

The MLA from Shimla Rural also alleged attempts from some quarters to humiliate him in his functioning as a cabinet minister.

"I respect the CM but there has to be coordination among the Council of Ministers. This is a breach of trust, something that has led to where we are standing today," he said.

When asked whether he would continue in the party, Singh said he would "hold due discussions and deliberations" with his supporters, before deciding "the future course of action."

In the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly, the Congress has 40 MLAs while the BJP has 25 legislators. The remaining three seats are held by independents.