Congress Himachal crisis: ‘9 more MLAs willing to join us’, says disqualified MLA Rajinder Rana

NEW DELHI: Disqualified Congress MLA Rajinder Rana revealed that at least nine party legislators were in contact with them, rubbishing claims made by Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu that some MLAs want to return to the camp. Rana also accused Sukhu of providing misleading statements to the public.Rajinder Rana was amongst the six Congress MLAs who had cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha elections and were subsequently disqualified by the speaker.The BJP clinched victory in the elections as a result, securing the lone seat in the state.Rana justified the cross-voting decision, "We took this decision to uphold the honour of Himachal Pradesh and its people.""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.Addressing the possibility of cross-voting had Sonia Gandhi contested instead of Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rana highlighted Gandhi's contributions to the country but refrained from providing a direct response.Asserting that their decision was a personal one, another ousted Congress MLA Inder Dutt Lakhanpal said, "Some people will now call us rebels or traitors. But we aren't. We listened to our conscience. It was our personal decision."The BJP claimed that the Himachal Pradesh government is at risk of collapse, a notion dismissed by chief minister Sukhu.Sukhu, on the other hand, insisted that "80 per cent of the Congress is together," attributing dissent within the party to "trivial issues." He expressed optimism that the formation of a coordination committee would improve the situation and emphasized holding discussions with the disqualified MLAs.Looking ahead to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Sukhu expressed confidence that the situation would improve with the formation of the coordination committee, emphasizing the Congress's commitment to providing honest and transparent governance in the state over the past 14 months.The disqualified MLAs include Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma and Devinder Kumar Bhutto.Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania took action against the six Congress MLAs who abstained from voting on the Budget, a move that defied the party's whip. The disqualified MLAs have announced their intention to appeal against the Speaker's decision in the Supreme Court.