Sukh Ram’s son and resignation: It’s a hat-trick

Bhanu Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 13

Former Power Minister Anil Sharma has scored a hat-trick of resigning from the Cabinet. He resigned under different circumstances on each occasion.

In 1996, he resigned because of his father Sukh Ram Sharma, in October 2017, he quit due to some personal reasons and this time because of his son Ashray Sharma contesting from Mandi as Congress candidate.

Sharma, who was elected to the Assembly for the first time in November 1993 and was inducted as Minister for Youth Services and Sports and Forests in the Congress government, headed by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, had resigned from the ministry in 1996 after the CBI conducted raids at the residence of his father and his subsequent arrest.

The BJP was after his blood and had disrupted Assembly proceedings for several days, seeking his resignation. He quit the ministry and later joined the Himachal Vikas Congress, floated by Sukh Ram.

He resigned from the Virbhadra ministry in October 2017 before the Assembly poll and joined the BJP. His last-minute gamble paid off and he not only got the BJP ticket, but was also inducted into the Jai Ram Thakur Cabinet in December 2017.

This time he had sought BJP ticket for his son Ashray Sharma from Mandi but the BJP did not entertain him and decided to field sitting MP Ram Swaroop Sharma. His position as Cabinet minister became untenable after his father joined the Congress along with his grandson who was given ticket from Mandi.

He was under pressure from the BJP to campaign for the party but he took a clear stand that he would not campaign against his son. However, the Chief Minister and other BJP leaders maintained that being a Cabinet minister, he must campaign and he, finally, decided to quit.

Four-time MLA and three-time minister, Sharma (63) was also elected to the Rajya Sabha as HVC candidate in 1998 when the BJP-HVC government was in power.

Sharma has neither resigned from the Assembly, nor from the party and the BJP is now asking him to resign from the Assembly also to uphold democratic traditions.

Victim of circumstances

• In 1996, he resigned after his father Sukh Ram was held
• In Oct 2017, he quit the Virbhadra-led Cabinet
• This time because of his son Ashray Sharma is contesting from Mandi on Congress ticket