A full-scale political war broke out in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday with the BJP starting a week-long ‘Virbhadra hatao, pradesh bachao’ campaign to seek Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s resignation following allegations of corruption against him.
BJP spokesman Ganesh Dutt said the party started demonstrations demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister over corruption allegations. Dharnas would be held in all district headquarters in phases. While Himachal BJP president Satpal Satti participated in a demonstration in the State capital, former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal led the protest in Hamirpur.
Dhumal asked the Chief Minister to resign till he came out clean in the “shady deals” that he and his family members are alleged to be involved in with Vakamulla Chandersekhar of New Delhi, whose company was executing a hydropower project in the State. He said that if Virbhadra did not resign, BJP would go to the President and the State Governor and ask that he be removed from his post. They demanded a CBI inquiry.
Alleging that there was an “open and shut case of corruption” against Virbhadra over payments from a power company’s promoter, BJP leader Arun Jaitley December 30 demanded a probe and action from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress.