Expressing solidarity with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, against whom a chargesheet was filed in a Delhi court over graft charges, six ministers in his cabinet on Sunday rejected the opposition BJP's demands for his resignation.
The people in the State and the Congress, in particular, would not tolerate attempts of BJP leaders to tarnish the image of Virbhadra Singh and destabilise the democratically elected Government, a statement by the ministers, including Vidya Stokes and Mukesh Agnihotri, said.
They advised the BJP leaders — two former Chief Ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar and Suresh Bhardwaj — to refrain from issuing misleading statements as the Congress would not bow down to their pressure tactics. The ministers said Virbhadra Singh was a six-time Chief Minister and was not going to be un-nerved by the threats and pressure tactics of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).