Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Thursday refuted all the claims levelled against him, in a public interest litigation filed, in the Delhi High Court by noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan on November 20, alleging him for misappropriation of funds on large scale.
The Chief Minister said that he doesn’t require any character certificate from the errant lawyer, nor the Bharatiya Janata Party, indulging in mudslinging to settle personal scores. The PIl was filed in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday by Commom Cause, a NGO represented by advocate-cum-social activist Prashant Bhushan.
Terming the filing of PIl as an act of seeking personal vendetta, Singh said that he has come out strong and clean, after facing many such baseless accusation and false cases, and the current one too will fall flat in its claims.
Independent investigations are being carried out against Prashant Bhushan in a land scam, alleged Raja Sahab.
The lawyer turned social activist has purchased a tea garden in Palampur of Kangra district, in the name of Kumud Bhushan Educational Society. This transaction of land is deemed to be illegal because, there was a total ban on sale and purchase of tea gardens in Himachal Pradesh to non-agriculturist when the deal took place, said Virbhadra.
This matter, of purchasing land illegally, was raised vociferously by political parties to target Bhushan, during the Anna Hazare movement, of which he was a part.
Meanwhile, the PIl filed by an NGO also stated that on December 1, 2010, the IT Department seized documents from the office of Ispat Industries which show that payments were made to one “VBS”. During the last Assembly elections, a news report came in the media, alleging that Virbhadra has received money from Ispat industry. The news report followed after a diary was found, belonging to one of the employees working in the firm, in which it was mentioned that money has been given to some ‘VBS’.
Meanwhile, clarifying the matter, the Chief Minister said that there were many entries in the alleged diary and there were name of many prominent people in its pages. It was mere speculation and a politically motivated gimmick to relate the ‘VBS’, to my name. It is a matter of common knowledge and an established fact that such entries in personal diaries do not constitute material evidence under the provisions of law.
Virbhadra denied any dealing with Ispat Industries and said the initials “VBS” did not correspond to his name. However, he also added that the investigations that are being carried out in the State against BJP leaders and their misdoings, when they were in power, is prompting them to frame baseless allegations against him to settle personal score, which clearly indicates that they have stooped to the level of political chicanery.