"We cannot lose mandate through BJP's 'Operation Lotus'": Congress on HP govt crisis

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As the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh faces a risk of collapse, the party on Wednesday said it was weighing all options and will not hesitate to take tough steps to respect the people's mandate given to them.

Six Congress MLAs voted in favour of the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday with sources claiming they are "disappointed" with the working style of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Addressing reporters in New Delhi, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said party president Mallikarjun Kharge has despatched three senior observers -- Bhupesh Baghel, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and D K Shivakumar -- to Shimla.

The BJP cannot take away the mandate of the people of Himachal Pradesh through its 'Operation Lotus' and the Congress will take all steps necessary to protect it, Ramesh said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief J P Nadda were rejected by the voters of the hill state in the last assembly elections.

Ramesh said the Congress president has spoken to the observers and AICC in-charge for the state Rajeev Shukla and has asked them to speak to all MLAs, including those who are disgruntled, and submit a comprehensive report to him soon. The future course of action will be decided after that, he said.

"The Congress will not hesitate to take some tough steps as the party is our priority and we will not let people's mandate be betrayed in Himachal Pradesh," Ramesh told reporters.

"We cannot lose the mandate through the BJP's 'Operation Lotus' as only the people of the state can take it back," Ramesh asserted, adding that the BJP has done so earlier in Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Maharashtra. "Individual's interests are not important, the party is supreme and so is the people's mandate," he said.

The Congress rebels are seeking to install a person of their choice as the new chief minister of the state. Earlier in the day, former chief minister Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh resigned as a minister and said he was pained to take this step out of frustration and humiliation.

Ramesh said the BJP was trying to come to power in Himachal Pradesh through the backdoor.

"This is yet another way of trying to come to power through the backdoor," he said, adding that the BJP did so in Goa, Madhya Pradesh and the latest attempt is in Himachal Pradesh.

He also said that accountability will also be fixed for cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha poll in Himachal Pradesh, which the Congress nominee Abhishek Singhvi lost.

"Our priority is to save our Congress government. The people of Himachal rejected the prime minister, BJP president J P Nadda and Jairam Thakur and gave a clear mandate to the Congress. We should respect the mandate of the people. We will not allow the Modi government to bring down the Congress government," he said. (PTI)