In a tit for tat move, Opposition BJP on Wednesday submitted a chargesheet to the Governor against the alleged misdeeds in one-year rule of Congress Government in State and demanded CBI inquiry into the charges levelled against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and some of his Cabinet colleagues.
The chargesheet of BJP levelled serious charges of corruption against the Chief Minister and his Cabinet Ministers and was submitted to Governor Urmila Singh by former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and other BJP MlAs at Raj Bhawan, Shimla. Virbhadra Singh-led Congress Government in the State on Wednesday completed one year in office. Serious charges of misappropriation were also levelled in the chargesheet against Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and former Congress MP Chander Kumar.
In the chargesheet submitted to the Governor and later brought into public domain, charges have been leveled against chief minister Virbhadra Singh of corruption during his tenure as Union Steel Minister and recent controversy of favouritism to a firm of one Vakamulla Chandershekher who has loaned him and his wife Rs 3.90 crores.
BJP in the chargesheet said that a share purchased by an individual is not crime but hiding the facts is certainly a crime. The charges of purchase of shares by the wife Pratibha Singh, daughter Aprajita Singh and son Vikramaditya Singh in the company of Vakamulla Chandershekher, had also rocked the recently concluded winter session of assembly.
BJP has alleged that both Member of Parliament Pratibha Singh and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had concealed the information about shares being purchased by their family members in the election affidavit submitted to the Election Commission of India during their elections. Serious allegations of corruption have been leveled against senior ministers in the Government.
IPH minister Vidya Stokes has been alleged to be incompetent as she had failed to check corruption in her department in which tenders worth crores of rupees for purchase of sub-standard pipes and fittings were given under Sarkaghat division of IPH department. The allegation against Health minister Kaul Singh Thakur is that he favoured a MNC firm for outsourcing laboratory services of hospitals in the state rendering the lab technicians in the hospitals homeless. BJP also alleged that Congress headquarter in the state at Shimla has been constructed at prime location flouting all rules.
BJP has charged transport minister GS Balli for purchasing a government forest land worth crores in Kangra district. Party has alleged that part of the land comes under tea garden and can’t be purchased other than for purpose of tea gardening. BJP in its chargesheet submitted to the Governor has annexed several documents including information collected through RTI Act, to substantiate their allegations against the chief minister and cabinet ministers.
leader of opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal said that this chargesheet will expose the misdeeds of one year rule of government and BJP has demanded CBI inquiry into all the allegations. “The government is on way out and therefore they have left headquarters for us,” said Dhumal on reply that government has been celebrating one year in office at his home constituency at Hamirpur.
Chief minister Virbhadra Singh has termed the chargesheet of BJP as pure non-sense and said that let them (opposition) shout from the mountains about baseless charges. “I will not bow to any pressure. My government will keep up the good work done for the people of the state,” Virbhadra Singh had said on Tuesday on the eve of one year of his Government in office.