'Case against Himachal CM politics of vendetta'

A day ahead of the apex court hearing challenging a court order granting relief to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in an alleged disproportionate assets case, the Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Sunday said it was "politics of vendetta".

The politics of vendetta and vengeance unleashed by the BJP against the chief minister would never succeed, a statement by the 11-member cabinet said.

They, in a joint statement, said the state government under the leadership of Virbhadra Singh was strong and stable and would complete its full five-year term.

"Virbhadra Singh enjoys full support of the Congress and people of the state and the dirty designs of the BJP to destabilise a democratically-elected government would fall flat," the statement said.

The ministers said the BJP was misusing the central investigating agencies against Virbhadra Singh to smear the image and reputation of one of the tallest political leader in the state and destabilise the Congress government led by him.

The CBI moved the Supreme Court on October 15 to challenge a Himachal Pradesh High Court order granting relief to Virbhadra Singh and his wife and protecting them from arrest in the alleged disproportionate assets case as the agency sought their custodial interrogation.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also filed a petition in the apex court to seek transfer of the case against Virbhadra Singh from Himachal Pradesh to Delhi, where a similar case is pending against him.

An apex court bench of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice Arun Mishra said the plea would be heard on the opening day after the Dussehra holidays as Additional Solicitor General P.S. Patwalia mentioned the matter before the court in the morning and sought early hearing.

The high court order of October 1 has virtually stalled the investigation process, he said.