Questions ‘silence’ of Gandhi family
The BJP on Sunday revived its campaign against Virbhadra Singh and questioned the “silence” of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over corruption allegations against the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister. They party dared Singh to face a CBI probe into the charges which he dubbed as politically motivated.
“The Congress Party and Virbhadra Singh have decided to brazen out the allegations of corruption. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will hide behind silence,” leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley said in his blog.
On his part, Singh accused Jaitley and former Chief Minister and BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal of “deliberately suppressing relevant facts” in their Press conferences to suit their “ulterior political motive.”
“They have made selective opportunist disclosures and tried to mislead by twisting and concealing vital facts,” Singh said, dismissing the allegations levelled against him by them as being “false, frivolous and fabricated. “The accusations are preposterous and politically motivated,” Singh said.
Taking on the Himachal CM who has dared anyone to either lodge an FIR against him or to prove the allegations of corruption, Jaitley said that his letter to the CBI Director on December 29 in this regard constitutes an FIR.
“In order to investigate the same, the consent of the State Government under section 6 of the Delhi Special Police (Establishment) Act is required. I dare the State Government of Himachal Pradesh to give its consent so that an investigation into these allegations can also take place,” he said.
Jaitley’s hard-hitting remarks on the Congress leadership came amid indications that Congress has decided to fight out
the issue backing Virbhadra Singh and dubbing the allegations as part of Opposition’s conspiracy against him.
The BJP leader said two allegations against the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister are already being investigated by the CBI as per his understanding. It is the third allegation relating to his dealings with a power company which now requires to be “investigated and proved,” Jaitley said.
He alleged that Singh, his family members and their company have received interest-free loan from the promoter of a power company, which had transactions with the Himachal Government.
The State Government had at a given point of time passed orders favouring the company.
The BJP leader said that facts prima facie establish that the loaned money is used for buying shareholding in other group companies of the lender.
Singh said that these same charges have also been included in the PIl filed by AAP leader Prashant Bhushan in the Delhi High Court after the Himachal government initiated a case of illegal purchase of tea garden by him at Kandbari, Palampur in the name of Kumud Bhushan Educational Society, which he could not have purchased as there was total ban on selling of Tea Gardens and lands subservient to tea industry in the State to non-agriculturists.
He wondered it was strange that Dhumal family, Bhushan and Jaitley were singing same old chorus, which smells of “connivance and conspiracy.”
“Prashant Bhushan and Dhumal family are facing probes for their wrongdoings, Jaitley is known in Himachal as an advocate of Dhumals having represented in HPCA case earlier,” Singh said asking Jaitley the reason for his attempt at “bowling a googly on behalf of Dhumal family.”
“What special interest did Jaitley have in Dhumal and his familyIJ Had he been paid as an advocate to stage the show on their call, was it a cricketing company gesture or there was something deeper beneath as he had raised same issues and divulged same information as had been done by son of Dhumal in his five Press conferences at Shimla.
He said Jaitley and Dhumal were behaving like a complainant, prosecutor and a judge all unto himself and pleading, prosecuting and passing orders in a same stretch. The Chief Minister said that during the Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh in October-November 2012, Jaitley had levelled same “wild and baseless accusations” about his Income Tax returns and alleged favours to Ispat industry.
Jaitley had not only “illegally” procured details of his income tax returns, which cannot be obtained even under RTI without the consent of the assesses, but had also shown them at a Press conference in Shimla withholding parts of it to suit his party’s political agenda, he said.