Who is Vikramaditya Singh, the Congress minister who attended Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha despite party's decision

In a surprising turn of events, Himachal Pradesh's Public Works Minister and Congress MLA Vikramaditya Singh attended the Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha event in Ayodhya on Monday, challenging the party's official stance. Singh, the son of the current Himachal Congress chief Pratibha Singh, was not deterred by his party's decision, highlighting a rare instance of dissent within the ranks.

Sudhir Sharma, another Congress MLA from Himachal Pradesh, also participated in the consecration ceremony of the temple. Vikramaditya Singh, who holds a key position as the PWD minister in the state, was even declared a state guest by the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government for the occasion.

Singh, born in 1989 and representing the Shimla Rural constituency, justified his decision, stating, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of this historic day and as a Hindu having faith in 'Dev Samaj', it is my responsibility to be present on the occasion and witness the 'pran pratishtha' of Lord Ram." His visit contradicted the Congress's earlier declaration that its top leaders would not attend the ceremony, accusing the BJP of exploiting the event for political gain.


However, Singh later clarified, "The party high command has specified that everyone is free to visit the temple whenever they want as religion and faith have nothing to do with politics and therefore, we will definitely visit the temple. I will not say that I will go on January 22 but will go whenever I feel like it."

Vikramaditya Singh, a two-time MLA, won his first election in 2017 and repeated the feat in 2023. Born into political royalty as the son of the late ex-CM Virbhadra Singh and current MP from Mandi, Pratibha Singh, he is also the state Congress chief. With a post-graduate degree in History from St Stephen's College, Delhi, Singh served as the chief of the state youth Congress from 2013 to 2017, adding to his political repertoire.