Himachal: Disqualified Congress MLA Rana signals dissatisfaction with state govt; hints at 'potential topple'

Chandigarh: Expressing complete dissatisfaction with the present Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, Rajinder Rana, one of the six disqualified Congress MLAs, said on Saturday that many other MLAs have contacted them and that the government in the state "will soon be toppled."
"It's been more than one year; we have been continuously raising concerns to the high command that everything is not right in the party in Himachal Pradesh. It is not Congress' government in Himachal Pradesh; it is only the government of Sukhvinder Sukhu's friends. Everyone is aware of the state's situation," Rajinder Rana said while speaking to ANI.
"The youth is on the roads after writing exams. They are still waiting for the results. The guarantees given to the people are not being fulfilled, and selected MLAs are being treated disrespectfully," he added.
Expressing discontent with Sukhu, Rana stated that all nine MLAs are completely fed up with the government.
"We have raised an alarm to the High Command, that if the state of Himachal Pradesh needs to be saved, then this chief minister needs to be removed," he said.
"Like the Congress party is shattered like a pack of cards in the country, the same thing happened in Himachal Pradesh as well. The current Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh is the biggest liar. He has put the progress of Himachal on a reverse gear," Rana stated.
Dismissing the Chief Minister's claims of disqualified MLAs reaching out to him, Rana categorically stated that "all such assertions were false."
"We are all sitting here and haven't contacted him," he clarified.
In a surprising revelation, Rana hinted at potential defections from within the party, claiming that several other MLAs are in contact with him, and the state government is on the verge of being toppled.
"several others MLAs want to join us (rebel MLAs), and are in contact with us. The state government of Himachal will be toppled soon," he said.
Earlier, the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Thursday (February 29) disqualified the six Congress MLAs who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha polls. The six MLAs include Sudhir Sharma, Rajinder Rana, Davinder K Bhutto, Ravi Thakur, Chaitanya Sharma, and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal.
Commenting on their disqualification, Rana said, "We will go to the court soon. This disqualification by the Speaker was done completely under pressure."
"The law was not taken into account. The police have started issuing challans against the supporters of those MLAs who have cross-voted. We will protect the self-respect of this state," he added.