Centre trying to destabilise government: Himachal cabinet

The Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Friday expressed apprehensions that the Narendra Modi-led central government was trying to destabilise the Congress government in the state.

"We apprehend pressure tactics from the BJP-led central government to destabilise and arm-twist the democratically elected government under the leadership of Virbhadra Singh," the 11-member cabinet said in a statement, expressing fears of misuse of central investigating agencies to implicate Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in false and fabricated cases.

The ministers, comprising Vidya Stokes, Kaul Singh and G.S. Bali, said the Bharatiya Janata Party was making desperate bid to divert the attention of the people by attempting to register false FIRs against the Congress leaders in the country whereas they were maintaining complete silence over the questionable conduct of its leaders.

Referring to matters of income tax related to Virbhadra Singh, the cabinet said these were pending before various income tax appellate authorities and the courts.

"The CBI after going into a detail inquiry has already submitted its preliminary inquiry report to the Delhi High Court in a sealed cover. It appears that at the instance of political leaders, another preliminary inquiry in the same case has been ordered with malafide intention," the signed statement said.

Such unsuccessful attempts had been made by the BJP in the past also when false FIRs were registered against Virbhadra Singh but every time he after facing court trials came out clean, they added.