New Delhi: Senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar, who took his troubleshooting skills from Karnataka to Himachal Pradesh, today sounded an all-clear for the faction-ridden state party that had brought the government on brink of collapse. "All is well. This government will stay for 5 years. All issues have been sorted out,' he said after meeting state Congress leaders Vikramaditya Singh and Pratibha Singh in Shimla this evening. The MLAs were paraded before the media to underscore the point and the government's numerical strength.
"We are hearing all the MLAs. There is no problem in the government," added the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, indicating that Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu's job is safe, after the huge turmoil his government passed through this week.
Mr Sukhu has taken responsibility for the loss in Rajya Sabha polls, Mr Shivakumar said, referring to the Congress's shock defeat in the election for the single seat from the state. Senior party leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi had lost to BJP's Harsh Mahajan, after six Congress MLAs had cross-voted.
"I agree that I failed, but also there was intelligence failure and we did not know that BJP is trying to poach our MLAs,' Mr Sukhu said.
The Chief Minster was accused of being unable to keep his flock together as more trouble followed. State minister Vikramaditya Singh -- son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh -- resigned, accusing Mr Sukhu of "negligence" towards MLAs and disrespecting his late father.
His resignation came amid a BJP plan to move a no-confidence motion, which dissipated as the Speaker expelled 15 BJP MLAs and disqualified the six Congress rebels. The move placed the party on strong ground on a day the budget was to be passed.
Mr Singh backed off, but made it clear that there is a difference between withdrawing resignation and not pressing for its acceptance.
"I have said I have spoken to the observers and I will not be pressing my resignation until a final decision is taken," he said.
Mr Shivakumar, though, said all the differences have been resolved. "Matter ended last evening. He is here. We are together on Vikramaditya Singh," he said.
Mr Singh's mother and senior leader Pratibha Singh, who appeared before the media with Mr Shivakumar, also indicated that the party is looking forward.
"The next issue before us is the Lok Sabha election. We must be united. There should be coordination and that's the reason why this coordination committee has been set up,' she said.