NEW DELHI: Himachal Pradesh Congress minister Vikramaditya Singh , who was at the centre of a controversy over his diktat for mandatory use of nameplates by eateries in the state on the lines of Uttar Pradesh, on Monday reiterated his commitment to the Congress ideology but also asserted that protecting the interest of people of Himachal was as important as implementing the directives of the party high command. Vikramaditya strongly denied reports that he was summoned by the party high command over the issue and said he met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary K C Venugopal during a prescheduled visit to the national capital.
The PWD and urban development minister invoked his father late Virbhadra Singh to justify his stand and reiterated why registration of vendors was important. "I cleared my position and told the party leadership that I stand with them like a rock and their directives will be followed. But I also told them that protecting the interest of 70 lakh people of Himachal Pradesh is also my duty and responsibility. My father was chief minister for 6 terms and he could achieve this feat because he strongly raised the voice of Himachal. Just like implementing the directives of the party leadership is important, ensuring the interests of the state is equally important," the Congress minister said. His remarks seemed to suggest that the two objectives were at variance to each other despite a Congress government in the state.
"The question is only about registration of vendors keeping in mind the internal security situation and respecting the issues and sentiments of the locals. The move is to ensure that the food served is clean and there is no adulteration of any kind, to ensure that law and order is maintained and if some one is up to any mischief he can be identified and dealt with by the authorities. It is unfortunate that this was given a communal colur and was linked with the policies of any other state. The issues of Himachal Pradesh are different," Vikramaditya Singh said justifying his announcement which led to a huge row.
Interestingly, Pratibha Singh, who is the state BJP chief and mother of Vikramaditya Singh, had also endorsed identification of "outsiders" for the sake of state security but had said she did not subscribe to BJP's ideology or its style of working. "Identification of outsiders should be done to know the purpose of visit in view of the internal security of the state," she had said and claimed that the issue was blown out of proportion by media.
The vendor policy issue is not the first time that Vikramaditya Singh had made comments diverging from party line. On the issue of Waqf Board amendements, which the Congress has opposed strongly, the Himachal minister had asserted that changes are necessary with times and had said: "For the best interests of Himachal and its people, it is essential to bring about reforms."
(With inputs from agencies)
The PWD and urban development minister invoked his father late Virbhadra Singh to justify his stand and reiterated why registration of vendors was important. "I cleared my position and told the party leadership that I stand with them like a rock and their directives will be followed. But I also told them that protecting the interest of 70 lakh people of Himachal Pradesh is also my duty and responsibility. My father was chief minister for 6 terms and he could achieve this feat because he strongly raised the voice of Himachal. Just like implementing the directives of the party leadership is important, ensuring the interests of the state is equally important," the Congress minister said. His remarks seemed to suggest that the two objectives were at variance to each other despite a Congress government in the state.
"The question is only about registration of vendors keeping in mind the internal security situation and respecting the issues and sentiments of the locals. The move is to ensure that the food served is clean and there is no adulteration of any kind, to ensure that law and order is maintained and if some one is up to any mischief he can be identified and dealt with by the authorities. It is unfortunate that this was given a communal colur and was linked with the policies of any other state. The issues of Himachal Pradesh are different," Vikramaditya Singh said justifying his announcement which led to a huge row.
Interestingly, Pratibha Singh, who is the state BJP chief and mother of Vikramaditya Singh, had also endorsed identification of "outsiders" for the sake of state security but had said she did not subscribe to BJP's ideology or its style of working. "Identification of outsiders should be done to know the purpose of visit in view of the internal security of the state," she had said and claimed that the issue was blown out of proportion by media.
The vendor policy issue is not the first time that Vikramaditya Singh had made comments diverging from party line. On the issue of Waqf Board amendements, which the Congress has opposed strongly, the Himachal minister had asserted that changes are necessary with times and had said: "For the best interests of Himachal and its people, it is essential to bring about reforms."
(With inputs from agencies)
