New Delhi: At a time when the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh is grappling with severe economic crisis while lakhs of government employees including the retired ones are waiting for their salaries, the party is now witnessing an internal rift. The grand old party which has often been at the forefront of criticising any communal diktats now find itself in an uncomfortable position after the party’s minister in the Himalayan state, Vikramaditya Singh announced a controversial proposal.
Vikramaditya Singh, who is the PWD minister of the state, announced on Wednesday that it will be mandatory for all the shopkeepers and street vendors in the state to display their identity cards. He further said that street vendors, especially those selling food items, will also be checked for hygiene and quality by the food supplies department. This move came a day after the Yogi Adityanath Government in Uttar Pradesh directed food establishment owners to display their names prominently, which was criticised by the opposition, academics and others.
Now finding itself in a tight spot, the grand old party on Thursday pulled up Singh over his contentious decision while the state government in Himachal clarified that no such decision has been taken up yet. According to the sources, Singh has been called to New Delhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi have expressed their dissatisfaction on his statements. A Congress MLA from Shimla who did not wish to be named, said that such statements from Singh gives a bad impression and should have been avoided.
“People after hearing his statements are questioning the Congress party on whether we are also walking on the footsteps of the BJP. Then, there is a rivalry between Vikramaditya and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who defeated him in the recently held Lok Sabha elections. But overall, such statements give a very bad impression about the party and they should have been avoided”, he added.
Similarly, Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi who is also the chairman of party’s minority department, met Rahul Gandhi over the issue.
Taking to X, he said: “Being silent does not mean that one is not looking at issues. Have faith in Rahul Gandhi and that there is no place for hate around him.”
He said, “I’ve already met Mr Gandhi and have discussed all the issues. We have also taken up this matter with Mallikarjun Kharge, and we are being assured that such unfortunate things would not happen again and that there is no space for any form of hatred in our party.
This issue has come up after the recent row over a mosque’s construction in Sanjauli, which led to several demonstrations by the religious groups in the Himalayan state, garnering a lot of negative attention.