'9 More MLAs In Touch': Disqualified Himachal Cong MLA Denies CM's Claim On Legislators Returning To Party

Rana, along with five other MLAs who had cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha polls, was disqualified from the Himachal Pradesh Assembly.

Himachal Political Crisis: Rajinder Rana, one of the six Himachal Pradesh Congress MLAs who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha elections on Saturday, rubbished the claim of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu that some rebel MLAs want to return to the party and asserted that at least nine party legislators were in touch with them.

Rana, along with five other MLAs who had cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha polls, was later disqualified from the Himachal Pradesh Assembly. Rana also accused Sukhu of misleading people with his statements. The disqualified MLAs are Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma and Devinder Kumar Bhutto. "No one wants to return. On the other hand, at least nine more MLAs are in touch with us," Rana told PTI.

Speaking on the cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections for the lone seat in the state, Rana said, "We took this decision to uphold the honour of Himachal Pradesh and its people," as quoted by PTI. "Did the Congress not have any candidate from the party workers in the state who could represent Himachal Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha?" he asked.

On being asked about the possibility of cross-voting if Sonia Gandhi had contested the polls instead of Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rana said, "She has made a lot of contributions to the country and been Congress president. Had she fought from here, that would have been a different matter," as quoted by PTI.

On Tuesday, Congress witnessed a stunning upset in Himachal Pradesh after the BJP won the state's lone Rajya Sabha seat with its candidate Harsh Mahajan defeating the grand old party stalwart Singhvi and setting the stage for a no-trust motion in the assembly.

Another disqualified Congress MLA Inder Dutt Lakhanpal told PTI, "Some people will now call us rebels or traitors. But we aren't. We listened to our conscience. It was our personal decision."

80% Of Congress Is Together: Himachal CM Sukhu

Himachal CM Sukhu, however, claimed that eighty per cent of the Congress is together and the rest are upset over small matters. He further stated that he had discussions with six disqualified Congress MLAs to clear things. The Himachal CM also claimed that the situation would "surely get better after the formation of the coordination committee."

"Eighty per cent of the Congress is together and the rest are upset with us over small matters. It's my responsibility to clear things, so I have had discussions with them (six disqualified Congress MLAs)," Sukhu said, as quoted by PTI. About the BJP's claim that the Himachal Pradesh government can collapse, the chief minister said, "The BJP's spirits are high after the cross-voting but this kind of situation won't arise again."

When asked about the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Sukhu said, "The situation will surely get better after the formation of the coordination committee. We will fight the Lok Sabha elections with full power. The Congress has provided an honest and transparent governance in the state in the last 14 months."

On Thursday, Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania disqualified six Congress MLAs for abstaining from voting on the Budget in the assembly.

The six rebel Congress MLAs had abstained from voting on the cut motion and finance bill (Budget) in the assembly, defying a party whip to vote in favour of the government. The ruling Congress had sought their disqualification on this ground.