Vikramaditya Singh
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Congress on Thursday reprimanded Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh for his “UP-like” announcement mandating display of owner’s identity at food stalls among others in Himachal Pradesh and made it clear that no such move will be implemented in the state.
This came following criticism of Singh’s statement on social media as well as leaders taking up the issue with central leadership. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi expressed their displeasure over Singh’s remarks.
Singh’s announcement came a day after Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government reintroduced the controversial move to mandate food stall owners to display their identity, which was criticised as a move aimed at communal polarisation.
Sources said Singh was called to Delhi where the central leadership unequivocally told him not to make such announcements, as it goes against the ideology of the party.
Rahul and other top leaders had criticised the UP government’s move earlier and had hailed the Supreme Court's order annulling it. Sources said the leadership was of the view that Singh’s statement projected the party in a bad light.
As the issue dominated the social media cycle, party’s Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajeev Shukla said no such decision to mandate street vendors to display their identity was issued by the state government or Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu.
He said he had spoken to both Sukhu and Singh on the issue and they have clarified that there is no such order.
The central leadership’s intervention came as leaders at various levels, including former Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister T S Singhdeo, UP Congress chief Ajay Rai, Congress Minority Department head Imran Pratapgarhi and Communications Department Secretary Vaibhav Walia, criticised Singh.
While Singhdeo said he did not understand the logic behind the move, sources said Pratapgarhi raised the issue with Rahul. Pratapgarhi tweeted that “keeping silence does not mean turning away from issues” and one should trust that there is no place for hatred around Rahul.
Walia posted on ‘X’, which was later deleted, that Singh’s statement does not represent the party’s ideology or the ideas of Bharat Jodo Yatra.
“Party leaders should reflect on their politics and the collective idea of the organisation they represent. If you believe in a different idea then probably you are in the wrong party,” he said in the deleted post.