Sukhu calls rebel MLAs snakes, but sends Vikramaditya to meet them

The CM appeared to be sending conflicting signals to the disqualified legislators as on the one hand he said he had asked Vikramaditya Singh to meet them after the latter said they had reached out to him. But on the other hand, during a public meeting in Dharampur, he called them.

“kaale naag” for betraying the party in the Rajya Sabha elections. Those who betrayed the party and played with the sentiments of the people won’t be spared by the almighty, he thundered as the crowd cheered.

Vikramaditya, who raised speculation by updating his Facebook profile to ‘Himachal ka sewak,’ spent approximately three hours with the legislators holed up in a Chandigarh hotel. A source close to the PWD minister revealed, “Vikramaditya expressed disappointment regarding CM Sukhu’s language against the rebel MLAs. Despite his efforts to convince them to return to the Congress party, it was evident that they had strong support from the Central leadership of the BJP.” But when contacted, Vikramaditya refused to make any comment .

Meanwhile, HPCC chief Pratibha Singh defended the disqualified MLAs, saying that it was natural for them to be upset due to a lack of acknowledgment and communication from the party leadership. “When it has been more than a year and you take no cognizance or listen to them, it is natural for them to be upset. Had you sat down with, talked to them and found out a solution, this situation would not have occurred.” She further went to add, “A lot of things remain to be done in the Congress. As an MP, I keep visiting my constituency and try to interact with the local people and solve their problems. It is from their feedback that I have come to understand that the BJP’s workings have been better than ours. I had conveyed this message to CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and asked him to strengthen the organisation.”

Earlier, in what appeared to be a damage control exercise, CM Sukhu appointed MLA Nand Lal, a Virbhadra Singh loyalist, the chairman of the 7th State Finance Commission. Reacting to his elevation, Nand Lal said as a four-time legislator he had got this responsibility at an appropriate time.

A day after blaming the intelligence for failing to apprise the government of the impending rebellion, the Sukhu government posted out ADGP Satwant Atwal Trivedi, overseeing CID (intelligence) and replaced her with IPS officer Dr. Atul Verma, who has recently returned from central deputation.

In another move, Rakesh Kanwar, a 2007 batch IAS officer, was appointed Secretary to CM Sukhu, while holding concurrent responsibilities in Agriculture and Language, Art & Culture.