Eye on polls in Himachal, BJP seeks investigation

Pointing out that Virbhadra Singh quit as minister after a court framed corruption charges against him, the BJP Saturday demanded a probe into the alleged payment made to him by a steel firm.

"Everyday a new skeleton of corruption tumbles out of the Congress closet... The then steel minister is suspected to have received Rs 2.28 crore illegally from a private firm. The firm has kept a detailed diary of such payments... the diary is with the Income-Tax department. As it is an issue of quid pro quo arrangement, it needs to be investigated immediately," said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.

He rejected denials based on the argument that Singh uses VS as his initials, not "VBS" as mentioned in the list of beneficiaries in the seized diary. "What matters in not how he writes his initials but how the paying firm recognises him," he said, pressing for a comprehensive probe.

With the former chief minister leading the Congress campaign in Himachal, the BJP sought to score some poll points. "What is worse is that the Congress party makes a virtue out of corruption and presents a fallen guy as hero," said Javadekar.

In Shimla, CM Prem Kumar Dhumal and BJP general secretary J P Nadda demanded an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team.— With ENS, Shimla

ALSO READ

Amartya Sen backs food Bill, slams Oppn for stalling it

Pawar to seek special package for state

Railway bribery case: Nephew rose from obscurity, worked behind the scenes

For AMU students, wearing sherwani no issue