"We are going ahead together for Lok Sabha polls": Himachal's minister Vikramaditya Singh

Speaking to ANI, Singh, the Public Works Department Minister of Himachal Pradesh said that a meeting regarding the name of the candidates for the Lok Saba seats in the state will be called soon.

Vikramaditya Singh, the Himachal Pradesh minister whose 'rebel' pushed the state into a political crisis recently that engulfed the Congress government on Thursday said that the party state unit will fight the upcoming general elections together. Speaking to ANI, Singh, the Public Works Department Minister of Himachal Pradesh said that a meeting regarding the name of the candidates for the Lok Saba seats in the state will be called soon.

"We are going ahead together. The party has announced a few names (of candidates). In the time to come, candidates will be announced for the remaining Lok Sabha seats too...Our state in charge is in contact with our CM and state president. A meeting will be called soon. Names of candidates will be decided...We will go to the people together and all efforts will be made to get blessings of the people," he said. Coming down heavily on the central government, the Himachal minister accused it of doing 'discrimination' towards the state in the last one year.

He also alleged that the state has been facing 'discrimination' for the last one year. "The discrimination that has been done against Himachal Pradesh in the past one year - it didn't get the kind of assistance that should have been given at the time of calamity, the assistance that should have been given to Himachal in Central sponsored schemes, the assistance that should have been given under 15th Finance Commission...We fulfilled the guarantee of OPS (Old Pension Scheme), about Rs 9000 Crores has to be given to Himachal by the Centre but it is yet to be received," he said.

He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not visit the state at the time of calamity which is as per the minister 'unfortunate'. "PM didn't come to Himachal even once at the time of calamity. This is unfortunate..." Singh added.

Last month, the BJP pulled off an upset by defeating the Congress's Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the election for the state's lone Rajya Sabha seat because of cross-voting by six of its party's MLAs. The Congress failed to get Singhvi elected even though it had 40 MLAs in the 68-member House while the BJP had 25 MLAs. The Congress also banked on the support of three Independent legislators but they too ended up voting for the BJP's Harsh Mahajan. As the crisis deepened, Cabinet Minister Vikramaditya Singh, Pratibha's son, resigned from his post on February 28 expressing dissatisfaction with Sukhu. But the Congress leadership managed to rein in Vikramaditya and the government was saved. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)