Former HP CM Virbhadra Singh’s statue to be unveiled at Shimla’s Ridge on June 23

Nearly four years after his death, a statue of Virbhadra Singh, the six-time chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, will be installed at the Ridge in Shimla on his birth anniversary on June 23.

Announcing this at a press conference on Saturday, state PWD minister and Virbhadra’s son Vikramaditya Singh said that the statue of the longest-serving chief minister of the state would be installed next to the bust of Himachal Pradesh’s first CM Yashwant Singh Parmar in Daulat Singh Park on the Ridge.

Virbhadra Singh, a scion of the erstwhile Rampur-Bushahr royal family, had died on July 8, 2021, after prolonged illness.

At present, the Ridge has five statues. They are of Mahatma Gandhi, former PMs Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, founder CM Parmar and former lieutenant general Daulat Singh after whom the park is named.

Tension after denial of NoC

Virbhadra’s statue was to be installed at the Ridge on his birth anniversary in 2023, but the delay in approval by the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government triggered tension with Vikramaditya Singh.

In February 2024, the government declined a no-objection certificate (NOC) to install the six-ft-tall statue of the former CM on the Ridge, leading to Vikramaditya resigning from the state cabinet.

Vikramaditya alleged that the contribution and legacy of his father, who was a six-time CM and five-time member of Parliament, had been forgotten. Sukhu did not accept his resignation and Vikramaditya stayed on.

The statue was unveiled at Sainj in Kumarsain by deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri though Sukhu was conspicuous by his absence.

Non-political trust set up

Vikramaditya said on Saturday that a trust has been created in Virbhadra Singh’s name. “All expenses of making of the statue and its maintenance will be borne by the trust. No help will be taken from the government,” said Vikramaditya, who is the chairman of the Raja Virbhadra Singh Foundation.

“At present, four people have been included in the trust but in times to come more people across party lines will be included. It is a non-political trust,” he said, adding, “this trust will be above party politics because Virbhadra Singh’s influence transcended political differences. Apart from the Congress and the BJP, people from all sections will be able to join it.”

“The foundation will provide services to people in the remote areas. Domain experts will be included to provide means of health, education and employment,” he said.

Vikramaditya thanked Sukhu and assured him of all possible help. “People’s sentiments are attached to Virbhadra Singh. People are ready to help,” he added.