New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday mounted pressure on Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh by demanding his resignation and also by moving the Election Commission.
The party 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 the Congress decide on any other candidate for chief ministership. This is the fifth corruption charge against Singh. This is also a test for the Congress to act against him to prove if it is really serious on the issue of corruption. This will also prove whether Rahul Gandhi means what he has been saying on corruption,” Thakur said.
In its memorandum to the EC, the 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 the Mandi Lok Sabha bypolls.”
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 CM has accused the BJP of indulging in “malicious propaganda” against him and said the allegations is “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 of Himachal Pradesh.
Nothing new in charges against HP CM: Congress
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, facing allegations of corruption, seems to have got a breather with Congress holding there is “nothing new” in the charges.
The view in Congress is that BJP is raking up old allegations with an eye on putting the ruling party on the defensive ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Singh, who on Wednesday met AICC general secretary in-charge for Himachal Pradesh Ambika Soni and Abhishek Singhvi, explained that there is no truth in the charges which were “politically motivated” and “malicious”. Himachal industries minister Mukesh Agnihotri, said the project in question was cancelled by the present Congress regime in November after the company defaulted.
