Street vendors row: Himachal govt's u-turn as Rahul Gandhi intervenes

New Delhi: Amid a row over Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh's remarks on mandatory display of names by street vendors, the Congress brass on Friday chided and told him that no one was allowed to go against the party's policies and ideologies, sources said.

Congress general secretary, in-charge organisation, KC Venugopal had a meeting with Singh here during which the minister was told that the party believed in Rahul Gandhi's mantra of fighting hatred with love, they said.

While Singh was told that he must adhere to the party's ideology and policies, he in turn informed the party brass that he was misquoted by the media.

Facing flak over Singh's announcement on mandatory display of names by street vendors, the Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday said no such decision had been taken.

Singh, the public works and urban development minister, on Wednesday told reporters that it would be mandatory for street vendors, especially those selling food items, to display their identity cards at their shops.

The decision, he had said, was inspired by a similar directive announced by the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government.

Distancing itself from Singh's remarks, the state government said in a statement that it had not taken any decision which made it mandatory for street vendors to display nameplates or other identification at their stalls.

Singh had said the decision was taken considering "apprehensions" expressed by several locals about the rising numbers of migrants in the state.

He also drew the censure of several leaders of the INDIA bloc when he posted his remarks on Facebook.

Sources in Delhi said the Congress' central leadership intervened in the matter following which the state government's clarification came.

The AICC's Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajiv Shukla said on Thursday that he had discussed the issue with Singh and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

He had said the matter sprang from the assembly speaker forming a committee to designate specific areas for street vendors, including those selling food and other items.

"They will be given licences and regulated so that police do not harass them. The designated places will require identification such as Aadhaar cards and licences but there is no requirement for them to display a sign stating their name as the owner," Shukla told reporters in Jammu on Thursday.

"The aim is to ensure that street vendors have proper locations to operate without disrupting traffic, especially since it is a hilly area and has narrow roads...," he had said.

Meanwhile, Singh called on Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar in New Delhi on Friday.

The Himachal Pradesh minister apprised Kumar that the construction work of the flyover at Himachal Vidhan Sabha junction and a viaduct along Victory Tunnel was stalled due to delay in approvals from Northern Railway.

Singh urged him to take appropriate and speedy action for restarting the work at the earliest as it would play a major role in decongesting traffic in Shimla and was vital for the city, which attracts a large number of tourists.

The minister also discussed the expansion of the railway network in the state, especially the Bhanupali-Bilaspur railway line.

Singh, however, did not speak on the street vendors row.