Himachal CM meets Ambika Soni; says opposition twisting facts to suit their convenience.
New Delhi: Facing allegations of corruption, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday made it clear to Congress that there is no truth in the charges even as BJP mounted pressure by moving the Election Commission seeking action against him and his wife for 'hiding facts' about their income to the poll body.
Rushing to the capital, Singh presented his version of the issue to Congress General Secretary Ambika Soni, who is in-charge of the state after BJP alleged that he had taken a 'bribe' from a private power company to grant extension to its project. The Chief Minister, however, could not meet party chief Sonia Gandhi as also Rahul Gandhi, who was not in Delhi.
Singh had flown to the national capital on Wednesday to explain his position to the party high command. During the meeting with Soni, he is understood to have stated that it was a malicious campaign by the BJP.
The charges against him have come at a time when Congress is seeking to take a high moral ground on the issue of corruption. On its part, BJP stepped up its attack on Singh on the issue and demanded his resignation.
It accused Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh, an MP, of "hiding facts about their incomes in affidavits filed during polls". Party MP and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha chief Anurag Thakur met Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath and handed over a memorandum demanding action against Singh and his wife.
"Virbhadra Singh should resign immediately. Let Congress decide on any other candidate for chief ministership. This is the fifth corruption charge against Singh. "This is also a test for Congress to act against him to prove if it is really serious on the issue of corruption. This will also prove the leadership of Rahul Gandhi whether he means what he has been saying on corruption or is it only double-speak," Thakur said.
Pratibha Singh, who is the Congress MP from Mandi and also facing corruption allegations, met a number of senior party leaders at the AICC headquarters here on Tuesday to explain her position on the issue.
The Chief Minister has accused the BJP of indulging in "malicious propaganda" against him and his family and dubbed the allegations as "politically motivated". Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley had alleged that the Chief Minister had taken a "bribe" from a private company for extension of a power project in the state.
Jaitley had alleged that the extension was given despite the state government's decision to terminate the contract on grounds of default in execution. Singh while denying the charges insisted that he had taken no bribe and went on to issue an eight-page statement seeking to rebut Jaitley's charges point by point.
"Frustrated BJP leaders are fabricating false stories and twisting and tampering facts to suit their convenience. They have been waging the same old issues pertaining to my income tax return and loan taken by my family, which have been replied and clarified time and again and there is nothing new in them" Singh said.
"As the Congress party and the government in the state has started to grow from strength to strength and the wrongdoings of the previous BJP govenment especially former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and his sons are getting exposed, personal attacks against me have grown in equal momentum and volume," he said.
In its memorandum to the EC, BJP has asked it to initiate action "as per law against Singh and his wife for hiding certain vital information about his income in the affidavits filed before the EC in last assembly polls and Mandi Lok Sabha bypolls."
Thakur alleged that Singh neither disclosed the money received from the power company promoter nor did he give details of his wife and children's shareholding in the power company subsidiary in his affidavit filed before the EC.
He further alleged that his wife did not give details of her husband and children's 3.4 lakh shares owned by her in the power company subsidiary which has benefitted, even as she disclosed other shareholdings owned by her.
( Source : PTI )
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