Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Minister Vikramaditya Singh
Following Minister Vikramaditya Singh's claim that food stall owners in Himachal Pradesh would be required to display identity cards, the Congress government, led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, has distanced itself from the statement.
The government clarified that no decision has been made regarding mandatory identification for vendors. A committee, chaired by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan and including both Congress and BJP legislators, will review the street vendors’ policy and consider public suggestions before any action is taken.
Vikramaditya Singh has faced criticism and reprimand from the Congress leadership over a controversial directive issued by his department, which mandated that food outlets across the state display the names and addresses of their owners.
The order has stirred controversy, particularly as the Congress party had previously condemned a similar mandate implemented by the Uttar Pradesh government during the recent Kanwar Yatra.
The directive from the Himachal Pradesh Urban Development Ministry, led by Singh, has been met with strong disapproval both within the party and on social media. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is reported to be particularly displeased with Singh, who heads the Public Works Department (PWD) and Urban Development Ministry.
Critics argue that the Himachal Pradesh order mirrors a policy recently adopted by Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, which required food vendors to display the names and details of their operators. The move in Uttar Pradesh had been widely condemned by the Congress as an act of “state-sponsored bigotry,” adding to the party’s current dilemma. The Congress faces allegations of hypocrisy as it now appears to support a similar policy in Himachal Pradesh.
Congress leader TS Singh Deo has denounced the Himachal directive as “reprehensible and discriminatory,” expressing confusion over the necessity of such a policy. Singh Deo criticised the move by suggesting that it lacks logical justification and unfairly targets individual shopkeepers rather than focusing on the branding of businesses.
The Himachal Pradesh government spokesperson noted that the government had received numerous suggestions from various societal segments about street vendor policies and would review these before making any final decisions.
A committee has been established to address the concerns raised, comprising members from both Congress and BJP. Chaired by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, the committee includes several ministers and MLAs tasked with evaluating public suggestions and preparing recommendations for the state government. This committee will consider the feedback carefully before presenting its findings to the Cabinet for further deliberation.