Former CM Virbhadra’s statue to be unveiled in Shimla on Oct 13

A statue of Virbhadra Singh, six-time former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, will be unveiled at the historic Ridge ground in Shimla on October 13. Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Vikramaditya Singh, who is also the president of the Virbhadra Singh Foundation, today said that the event was initially scheduled for June 23 on his father’s birth anniversary but was postponed due to heavy rainfall and disaster in the state.

The minister said that AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, AICC in-charge of Congress Affairs for Himachal Rajni Patil, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, HPCC president Pratibha Singh and other dignitaries would be present on the occasion.

He said that senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was also expected to attend the event. He added that the Virbhadra Singh Foundation had contributed Rs 11 lakh to support the education of children who lost their parents in the rain disaster.

Having a statue of Virbhadra Singh installed at the Ridge was a highly emotive issue for his family and the followers of the late giant leader of the Congress. Vikramaditya had broken down publicly over the matter when he resigned as a minister following the Rajya Sabha elections in the state last year. “The government could not allot land on the Ridge to raise a statue of the six-time Chief Minister of the state,” he had said while addressing mediapersons.