In Himachal crisis, Pratibha, Vikramaditya Singh’s long-simmering sense of ‘denial’, waning clout

On January 29, following the Congress’s defeat in the Rajya Sabha election, Vikramaditya had announced his resignation from the Cabinet, accusing Sukhu of not permitting a statue of his late father on Shimla’s Mall Road. Vikramaditya, 34, who led the Himachal State Youth Congress before entering electoral politics in 2017, continues to highlight his differences with Sukhu. He even defied the unofficial directive from the Congress’s high command by attending the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22, citing “putra-dharma”, as his father Virbhadra was committed to the construction of the temple.

Pratibha, who belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Keonthal, married Virbhadra in 1985, two years after the death of his first wife. She joined politics during her husband’s lifetime in 2004, when she won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat. Her influence in the party was well known, and continued to grow because of Virbhadra, a fact that was at times resented by some in the party. This is one reason that a pending money laundering case — in which the Enforcement Directorate had filed a chargesheet against Pratibha, Virbhadra and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2018 — was seen to have been widely amplified.

When Virbhadra passed away in July 2021, his loyalists saw Pratibha as his natural heir, with “Yuvraj”, as Vikramaditya is called by followers, still learning the ropes. So it came as no surprise when she staked her claim to the top post when the Congress came to power in the state in December 2022. But Sukhu — a bête noire of her husband Virbhadra, who had publicly opposed his elevation as HPCC chief in 2013 and finally got him removed in 2018 — had the numbers, and was made the CM. The family hoped Vikramaditya would be made the Deputy CM, but that too didn’t happen.

Ever since then, their resentment has continued to grow.

Appointed the PCC chief, Pratibha Singh often complained about Sukhu to the high command, claiming that he was sidelining the late Virbhadra’s loyalists and “not taking all MLAs along”.

In his defence, Sukhu acknowledges his differences with Virbhadra, but continues to emphasise his adherence to the party line.

Party leaders say Pratibha hasn’t been able to replicate Virbhadra’s clout or loyalty. “Throughout her political career, Pratibha Singh rode on the popularity of her late husband. Introduced to politics by Virbhadra, her winning margin dwindled over time, except for the 2013 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2021 Mandi Lok Sabha by-election, she won by a mere 8,766 votes, that too fuelled by sympathy for her late husband,” says a former Congress leader, speaking anonymously, adding that there is uncertainty about her candidacy in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections due to her age and a pending corruption case against her.

As the differences between the mother-son duo and CM Sukhu goes public, the question of whether they will leave the party remains unanswered. Some feel the recent events are just pressure tactics employed by the duo.