Himachal Minister Ensures Party Allegiance Amid Vendor ID Card Controversy

Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh met with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to affirm his commitment to the party’s ideology. This meeting follows contentious comments made by Singh about mandating street vendors to display identity cards. Singh clarified there has been no official decision made by the state government regarding this issue.

Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh met with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, affirming his unwavering commitment to the party's ideology, sources revealed on Sunday.

The meeting took place Saturday evening amidst a controversy over Singh's recent comments about mandating street vendors to display identity cards at their stalls. The state government has since clarified that no such mandate has been officially decided.

Sources indicated that Singh reiterated his dedication to Congress principles during the discussion with Kharge. Singh later stated that he had addressed concerns from the Congress high command regarding the ideology, emphasizing that the perception of following the Uttar Pradesh model was a misconception.

His statements came after the party's leadership reprimanded him over the remarks about street vendors, insisting that no member is allowed to deviate from the party's policies and ideologies. Amid the row, Congress general secretary in-charge KC Venugopal held a meeting with Singh on Friday, reiterating Rahul Gandhi's mantra of combating hatred with love.

Singh assured Venugopal that he remains a loyal member of the party, and that any perceived alignment with the Uttar Pradesh model was a media misrepresentation. He was recounting concerns from locals about the growing number of migrants as context for his vendor ID comments. However, the state government distanced itself from Singh's remarks, stating that there was no enforcement of such a directive.

Following Singh's comments last Wednesday about street vendors displaying identity cards, he attributed the idea to a directive from the Uttar Pradesh government. Yet, the state government later clarified it hadn't adopted this measure, calming apprehensions among locals and other bloc leaders. AICC's Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajiv Shukla also discussed the matter with Singh and the Chief Minister, ensuring that licenses and regulations would be sufficient without requiring displayed identification.

(With inputs from agencies.)