Fri Sep 27 14:37:59 UTC 2024: ## Congress Reprimands Himachal Minister for “UP-like” Announcement, Rules Out Identity Display for Food Vendors

**New Delhi:** The Congress party has strongly reprimanded Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh for his controversial announcement mandating food stall owners to display their identity, calling it “UP-like” and in violation of party ideology.

Singh’s statement, which mirrored a similar policy recently reinstated in Uttar Pradesh, sparked widespread criticism on social media and drew the attention of senior Congress leaders. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi expressed their disapproval, with sources indicating that Singh was summoned to Delhi and instructed to refrain from making such pronouncements.

The Congress leadership, which had previously criticized the Uttar Pradesh government’s move and celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn it, viewed Singh’s statement as detrimental to the party’s image.

In a bid to clarify the situation, Himachal Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajeev Shukla asserted that no such policy has been implemented by the state government or Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu. He further emphasized that both Sukhu and Singh have confirmed the lack of any such order.

The controversy attracted criticism from various Congress leaders, 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.

While Singhdeo questioned the logic behind the move, Pratapgarhi directly raised the issue with Rahul Gandhi, tweeting that silence does not condone problematic policies and urging faith in Rahul’s commitment to inclusivity. Walia, in a deleted post, explicitly stated that Singh’s announcement did not reflect the party’s ideology or the principles of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The Congress’s swift and decisive action against Vikramaditya Singh underscores the party’s commitment to upholding its principles of inclusivity and its opposition to policies perceived as divisive.

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