Six "black snakes" from the party sold their honour and tried to destabilise the Congress government by abstaining from voting on a budget which had welfare schemes for the poor, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Friday.
"How can people who sell their honour for money serve the people of their constituency," he said, while addressing a public meeting in Dharampur in the Kasauli Assembly constituency of Solan district.
In political life, people who betray their party which gave them a chance to contest elections are called "black snakes," he said.
If somebody realises his mistake, he can be forgiven, but first these MLAs should come out of the "jail" they have been in for the past 72 hours, Mr Sukhu said.
"Those who betrayed the party and played with the sentiments of the people of the state won't be spared even by the Almighty," he asserted.
The chief minister's remarks were meant for the six Congress MLAs from Himachal Pradesh who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha Poll on Tuesday, throwing their lot with BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan.
Mr Sukhu accused the BJP of being ill-at-ease with his government's performance in curbing corruption and starting welfare schemes.
"I am here for the people of the state, for the development of my state, I am here for you all and not afraid of the conspiracies being hatched against me," he said.
He added, "I will not allow the wealth of the state to be looted at any cost. My people are my strength and I am bound and committed to serve them until my last breath."
Mr Sukhu accused Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur, who is also a former state chief minister, of being power hungry, as he reiterated his claim that his government will complete its five-year tenure come what may.
Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sanjay Awasthi said an attempt was made by a few to destabilise the government with money power, which is against the ethos of democracy, and Himachal Pradesh has been put to shame by those few.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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