Himachal may Order CBI Probe into BJP 'Misdeeds'

Shimla, Jan 22 (IANS) The Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government is considering a CBI inquiry into the "misdeeds" of the previous BJP government in the state, Congress leaders said Thursday.

The BJP government has always framed false and fabricated cases against Congress leader and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in a political vendetta, they said in a statement.

Congress leaders who issued the statement are Himachal Pradesh Marketing Board chairman Subhash Manglate and Himachal Pradesh Forest Development Corporation Vice-chairman Kewal Singh Pathania.

Their reaction came after BJP state unit president Satpal Satti and other BJP leaders levelled allegations against the chief minister of promoting political vendetta against rivals.

The Congress leaders said BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal had ordered Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiries against Virbhadra Singh during his two terms as chief minister. But Virbhadra Singh came out clean from all charges.

"When the state government is considering a CBI inquiry into the misdeeds during the Dhumal regime, then why they (BJP leaders) are in a panic," they said.

They said the BJP leaders were levelling baseless and false accusations against Virbhadra Singh as the inquiries into the misdeeds of the previous BJP government were carried out on the basis of a charge sheet prepared by the Congress party when in the opposition.

Official sources told IANS that the state government was seeking a CBI inquiry into the assets owned by Dhumal and his family, including his son Anurag Thakur.

BJP state unit general secretary Randhir Sharma said Thursday the party would submit a charge sheet against the corruption in the present Congress government to the president, seeking an inquiry by the central government into it.

"The party has constituted a seven-member committee, headed by Shimla MLA Suresh Bhardwaj to formulate the charge sheet. It will complete the charge sheet in a month or so," he told reporters in Shimla.

The legislator said the chief minister has only indulged in "witch hunting" of political rivals in his two years in office.

Without taking any names, he referred to the chief minister's statement on a CBI probe into the assets and properties of Dhumal and said the BJP leaders did not fear any probe by the CBI or any other agency.

Sharma dared the chief minister to order a probe into his own assets and properties first, which are allegedly in question, before throwing mud on others.

The BJP leader said the mining mafia was active in the entire state, particularly in the home district of Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri.

"The industries minister is sheltering the mafia and now it seems, the chief minister is also not interested to take any action, which means that he is also supporting it."