New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS): The Congress, which is in power in Himachal Pradesh, seems to be grappling with internal rift and discord mainly due to Cabinet Minister Vikramaditya Singh's controversial order to food stall/ eatery owners to prominently display their names -- an instruction that has ruffled many feathers in the Congress high command, as the decision bears an uncanny resemblance to the one taken by Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh.
Also, even as the Congress has been firmly opposing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, with its members during the JPC meetings vociferously placing their views, Himachal Cabinet Minister Vikramaditya Singh seems to be having a different viewpoint.
Vikramaditya Singh, in a social media post, stressing the need to introduce necessary improvements in the Waqf Boards, said: "With changing times, there is a need to bring improvements to the Waqf Boards too. Changes should be made to every law with the passage of time."
According to political observers, what caught the attention of many is Vikramaditya Singh -- son of late former Himachal Chief Minister and Congress veteran Virbhadra Singh -- following the path of Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh in the matter of displaying names of owners/ staff members of the food stalls, eateries and establishments. And these fresh developments have prompted many to ponder if an attempt is being made to gradually adopt a 'Soft Hindutva' stance by the Congress in the hill.
The decision took the Congress by an unexpected wave of storm, with the party facing a backlash and one senior leader -- former Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister T.S. Singh Deo -- criticising Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Himachal Pradesh government, while warning that its right to be in power could be questioned over its stance against minorities.
Most importantly, the Congress High Command has expressed dissatisfaction over the name-plate display order which was issued by Vikramaditya Singh -- the Urban Development Minister of Himachal Pradesh.
Vikramaditya Singh, briefing the media on Wednesday, said that the state government has made a decision similar to that of Uttar Pradesh to ensure that people have access to clean and hygienic food.
The instructions, however, have made the top brass of the Congress, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, upset.
According to sources, Vikramaditya Singh had been summoned to Delhi where the Congress high command gave him an earful.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh unit Congress president Pratibha Singh -- mother of Vikramaditya Singh -- during an interaction with IANS, said: "The government has taken the decision for proper identification of food stall/ eatery owners... so that they can be identified, and their origins can be learnt. The decision has been taken to ensure the purity of the food products that are being sold."
"It's the responsibility of the government to take care of what people are eating. We don't want tourists or others to come to our state and fall ill by consuming food in our state," she told IANS.
Responding to a question if the decision was taken on the lines of the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government, Pratibha Singh said: "Why should we follow Uttar Pradesh? We (can) have our own rules and regulations."
Earlier, a day after Vikramaditya Singh courted a controversy by saying the government had decided to make it mandatory for all street vendors in Shimla to display their name, photograph and identification as per their ID cards, the government on Thursday clarified no decision to mandatorily display nameplates by the vendors has been taken.
A spokesperson for the government said numerous suggestions have been received from different sections of society regarding the street vendor's policy.
So far, the government has not taken any decision to mandatorily display nameplates or other identification by the vendors on their stalls. He said the government was committed to address the concerns of street vendors of the state and would consider all suggestions carefully before taking any decision.
The spokesperson said a committee, comprising both Congress and BJP MLAs, has already been constituted to address the matter.
The committee was chaired by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan and includes Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh and MLAs Anil Sharma, Satpal Satti, Randhir Sharma and Harish Janartha.
The committee would review suggestions of various stakeholders, before submitting its recommendations to the state government.
He said that once their detailed recommendations are submitted, the Cabinet would carefully evaluate them before making any final decisions on the matter.
"A lot of eatables like momos and noodles are being sold by foodstalls… so the Food and Civil Supplies Department will ensure that the food being sold is hygienic," Vikramaditya Singh said on Wednesday.