"Observer ke bolne se kya hota hai?" Himachal Congress Chief Pratibha Singh keeps CM Sukhu on tenterhooks
Shimla: Reacting to the Congress Observers' statement that CM Sukhu will continue for 5 years, Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh asserted that "Observer ke bolne se kya hota hai', it is the people who will decide what will happen in the future."
Congress observer DK Shivakumar on Thursday averted the crisis in Himachal, saying that Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu government will stay and all the MLAs want Congress government for 5 years, adding that a six-member coordination Committee is being setup between the party and the state government so that no political crisis is created in future.
"Observer ke bolne se kya hota hai? (what is the value of the Observers word)? Observers want this to happen. It is difficult to say what people want and what will happen," Pratibha Singh told ANI on Friday.
When asked if she wants to meet Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh said that definitely, they are our high command and our party has to go and apprise them that this is the situation now in Himachal and tell us what to do.
"Let's see...We have time. We will go and alert them. We will sit with them and discuss the situation in the state and that they should make a decision at the earliest. We will go ahead on the basis of their order," she added.
She further asserted that she has spent her entire life in the Congress party but she can't say what can happen tomorrow.
"Let's see. I have spent my entire life in the Congress party. We started from the Congress party. We affiliate with the Congress ideology. I can't say what can happen tomorrow."
When asked if the BJP wants to field her from Mandi and bring Vikramaditya Singh on their side, Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh said we are not in touch with them.
"We have not thought about it. We are not in touch with them. God knows what situation will occur in the time to come. It is for the high command to decide as to who the Congress party wants to field and give tickets - deliberations would be held over it. We will go ahead as per their order," she said.
Reacting to the speculations of Vikramaditya Singh's meeting with the six disqualified Congress MLAs, she said that she has no idea about this.
"He was here until last night. What did he decide further and where did he go, I have no knowledge...They are also under tight security. So, meeting them is not easy...I cannot get in touch with them because their phones are switched off. The entire area is cordoned. You cannot talk to them; you cannot meet them. It is not easy. Let's see what situation occurs," she added.
Himachal Pradesh Congress chief further asserted that high command will decide what role they will play now and what strategy will be made in the time to come.
"They have been disqualified. High Command will decide what role they will play now and what strategy will be made in the time to come...They will go (to court) and everyone fights for justice...I don't know what were the directions. They too must have been hurt by this decision because they are all Congress people and were fighting for their rights, for their demands...Let's see how the situation develops," she added.
When asked who would be the face of campaigning in the state - CM Sukhu or she - for Lok Sabha elections, she said this is not for me to decide.
"It has to be decided by the high command. That is not for me to decide. I will go just like a worker, like a sitting MP. As the state party chief, it is my responsibility to strengthen the people in the organisation and I am making all efforts towards it," she added.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said that out of 68 Members of the Vidhan Sabha, 6 cease to be Members of the House.
"They came under the purview of anti-defection law and have been disqualified. Now, we have 62 MLAs as of now - 34 of them belong to Congress, 25 to BJP and 3 are Independent," Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker said.
Notably, after the 2022 Assembly elections, the Congress had 40 MLAs, while the BJP had 25 in the 68-member state assembly. The remaining three seats are held by independents. With the six rebel MLAs disqualified, the strength of the House has come down from 68 to 62, and the halfway mark is now 32.
With the loss of six MLAs, the Congress now has 34 MLAs and the BJP, with independents, has 28. The fortunes of the Congress will now rest on its ability to keep the rest of its flock together.
The political crisis in the state was triggered by the Congress losing the Rajya Sabha election on Tuesday despite having a clear majority in the assembly.
