Leaders of SP, BSP and Congress say allege BJP of trying to break opposition parties and undermine democratically elected state governments…reports Asian Lite News
Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav came out hard against the BJP accusing the party of being nervous about the INDIA bloc and breaking other parties. Yadav has vowed action against rebel MLAs who cross-voted for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha elections.
“Action will be taken against them as per the rules. They won by defeating BJP and now what answer will they give to those voters?… They used to give us information about BJP-RSS. We are sad that who will give us this information now… Our family is expanding and because of this BJP is nervous and is breaking other parties. BJP should form a new faction – BJP Sidhantheen,” Akhilesh Yadav said.
In the Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP won 8 of the 10 seats that went to the polls while the SP won two seats. The contest was affected after the BJP put up an eighth candidate in former RS MP Sanjay Seth who finally emerged victorious after 7 SP MLAs cross-voted.
BSP MP cries foul
Meanwhile, BSP’s Lok Sabha MP Danish Ali said that it was for the first time in India that the ruling party was saying that they would get 400 seats, but on the other hand, they are working to break the opposition parties. Danish Ali also mentioned that these types of things are not good for democracy and the country’s politics.
“This is happening for the first time in the politics of the country. On one side, the ruling party is saying that they will be at 400, but on the other hand, they are working to break the opposition parties. The ruling party has formed a committee, and these people are responsible for seeing who will do cross-voting and who will break the MLAs of other parties. This is not good for Indian politics or Indian democracy,” he said.
Congress leaders call out BJP
Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the BJP, saying that the party that ‘did not stand with the state during natural disaster, is now pushing it into the political one’.
“In democracy, the general public has the right to choose the government of their choice. The people of Himachal used this right and formed the Congress government with a clear majority. But the BJP wants to crush this right of the people of Himachal by misusing the power of money, agencies and the Centre. The way the BJP is using government security and machinery for this purpose is unprecedented in the history of the country. The BJP, which did not stand with the people of the state during the natural disaster, now wants to push the state into political disaster,” Priyanka said.
She further said that if a party with 25 MLAs is challenging the majority of 43 MLAs, then it clearly means that ‘it is dependent on the horse-trading of representatives’.
“This attitude of the BJP is unethical and unconstitutional. The people of Himachal and the country are watching everything,” she added.
Amid the political turmoil, Congress leaders and observers for Himachal Pradesh, DK Shivakumar and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, rushed to Shimla on Wednesday to parley with members of the party, which is facing a loss of support and risks losing power in the state.
Shivakumar in a post on X, expressed his confidence that Congress rebel MLAs will stay ‘loyal’ to the party and stay put with the mandate that has been accorded to them
“As per the directions of the Congress high command, I am reaching Himachal Pradesh. Also there is absolutely no need to indulge in any hearsay, as I am confident that Congress Party legislators will be loyal to the party and stay put with the mandate that has been accorded to them,” Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister said.
In fresh trouble for the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, Vikramaditya Singh, a state minister and the son of the former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday stepped down from his position.
“All I would like to say is that under the current circumstances, it is not correct for me to continue as a part of the government. So, I have decided that I am resigning from the Council of Ministers. I am resigning as a minister,” Singh said.
Amid the political turmoil in Himachal Pradesh after cross-voting by six Congress MLAs during polling for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from the state on Tuesday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday said all fellow party leaders were like his younger siblings, adding, significantly, that his party believes in ‘forgiveness’, and not ‘revenge’.
Assuring that the Congress government will fulfil the mandate of the people and complete its tenure of five years, CM Sukhu told reporters, ” Hum toh sab ko maaf karne wale log hai, hum badle ki bhavna se kaam karne wale log nahi hain (We believe in forgiveness, not revenge.) All fellow members of my party are like my younger brothers and sisters. Our government will complete its full 5-year term.”
On state minister Vikramaditya Singh’s resignation, the chief minister said, “Vikramaditya Singh is my younger brother and I have spoken to him.”
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