No infighting within Himachal Congress, 'conflict' was for CM post: Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
The Hindu
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu targeted the opposition BJP over reports that some Congress MLAs may join hands with it.
There is no infighting within the Himachal Pradesh Congress and the "conflict" was only for chief ministership as there were three-four claimants, newly sworn-in CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said, adding if something were wrong, there would have been a "Rajasthan-like situation".
He asserted that no Congress legislator in the State would defect to the BJP and the party's government was committed to work for the people and would fulfil the promise of restoring the old pension scheme for government employees in the first cabinet meeting.
In an exclusive interview with PTI, Mr. Sukhu said, "We have spoken to the finance secretary. Under a strategy we know from where we have to generate money and where we have to invest. We have done the work on introducing the old pension scheme and we will introduce it in the first cabinet meeting." Asked about the expansion of his cabinet, he said it will happen soon and denied reports about some MLAs lobbying for ministerial berths.
After the Congress wrested power from the BJP in the hill state winning 40 of the 68 assembly seats, the party picked Mr. Sukhu, 58, as its Chief Minister over some other claimants to the post, including state party chief Pratibha Singh and Mukesh Agnihotri.
Mr. Sukhu, a four-time MLA from Nadaun in Hamirpur district and the son of a bus driver, was sworn in as the Chief Minister on December 11. Mr. Agnihotri took oath as the deputy Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister dismissed reports about infighting within the Congress State unit, but admitted that there was jockeying for the post of CM.
"Conflict was for post, it's not party conflict. Three-four people were willing to occupy the post of chief minister. You can see till now we have not done the cabinet expansion. If something were wrong, a Rajasthan-like situation would have occurred," he said.
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