BJP leaders behaving like judge: Himachal ministers

Expressing solidarity with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, facing a disproportionate assets case, his ministers on Thursday slammed opposition BJP leaders for pronouncing him guilty by "behaving like a judge".

"BJP President Amit Shah should focus on setting his own house in order and... should realise that Virbhadra Singh is in active politics for around 55 years," a statement by the ministers, including Vidya Stokes and Sudhir Sharma, said.

The joint statement said an income tax case against the Chief Minister "is pending in a court and to comment on it is not only contempt of court but also insult to the judicial system".

"It's unfortunate that Bharatiya Janata Party leaders are behaving like a judge and declaring the Chief Minister guilty. The fact is that on the insinuation of the BJP, three agencies of the country are investigating a single case relating to income tax against the Chief Minister."

The ministers said Virbhadra Singh has a clean image and the BJP leaders are resorting to cheap tactics to come to power (in the state).

Reacting to a comment from Shah, who concluded his two-day Himachal visit on Thursday, that the state had not been able to prepare detailed project reports for national highways, the ministers said the hill state has started technical and financial process for 28 highways.

A court in New Delhi on Wednesday fixed for May 6 the consideration of a chargesheet against Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh and others in a disproportionate assets case.

The court of Special Judge Virender Kumar Goyal is hearing the case, in which Life Insurance Corporation agent Anand Chauhan, his associate Chunni Lal, Joginder Singh Ghalta, Prem Raj, Lawan Kumar Roach, Vakamullah Chandrashekhara and Ram Prakash Bhatia have also been chargesheeted.

The CBI had booked all the accused on the charge of abetment to crime and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI had registered the case on September 23, 2015, after a preliminary inquiry found that Virbhadra Singh, during his term as the Union Steel Minister from 2009 to 2012, allegedly accumulated assets worth Rs 6.03 crore, which were disproportionate to his known sources of income.

--IANS

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