Sonia Gandhi arrives in Shimla; CM Sukhu inspects preparations for unveiling of Virbhadra Singh’s statue

Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi arrived in Shimla on Sunday afternoon. She will attend the unveiling of the statue of Virbhadra Singh, who served as Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister six times, at Daulat Singh Park on the historic Ridge on Monday.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and Public Works Minister Virbhadra Singh’s son Vikramaditya Singh, along with other dignitaries, welcomed Gandhi at Annadale Ground here.

Earlier in the day, the CM inspected the preparations for the statue unveiling and issued necessary directives to ensure security arrangements for the event, a statement said.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the chief minister, the deputy chief minister, the state party in-charge Rajni Patil, and HPCC president Pratibha Singh are expected to attend the event.

Virbhadra Singh first took office as Chief Minister on April 8, 1983, and served for nearly 23 years and 300 days. The statue’s unveiling was initially planned for his birth anniversary on June 23, but was postponed due to the pre-occupation of central leaders.

The invitation for the ceremony was extended by Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, who is also the chairman of the Raja Virbhadra Singh Foundation, the event’s organiser.

The statue will be situated near that of Dr YS Parmar, the first chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, as well as other notable figures, including Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose statues are also installed on the Ridge.