BJP delegation meets President, seeks Himachal CM's removal

A BJP delegation on Wednesday met President Pranab Mukherjee and sought the removal of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who is an accused in a disproportionate assets case.

The delegation headed by senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shanta Kumar and former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal submitted a memorandum to the President on the corruption charges against Virbhadra Singh.

"The delegation sought the removal of Virbhadra Singh because he has refused to resign on moral grounds even after facing serious charges of corruption. Investigation is going on, and perhaps for the first time in the history of India, an incumbent chief minister's house was raided (by the CBI)," Shanta Kumar told reporters after meeting the President.

"After the raids, it was his moral responsibility to resign, but he didn't. That's why we approached the president and sought his removal," he added.

In June, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) initiated a Preliminary Enquiry against Virbhadra Singh and his wife on the charge of acquiring assets disproportionate to their known sources of income during his tenure as the union steel minister.

The case was registered on September 23 under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, LIC agent Anand Chauhan and an associate, Chunnilal.

The CBI conducted searches at Virbhadra Singh's residences in Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, including Holly Lodge in Jakhu Hills of Shimla, on September 26 while he and his family were busy with his daughter's marriage.