Virbhadra should resign on moral grounds: Shanta Kumar

BJP leader Shanta Kumar Friday asked Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to resign on moral grounds as he is facing serious allegations of bribery.

"Only his resignation can pave the way for a fair probe," Shanta Kumar, a former state chief minister said in a statement here.

He noted allegations against Virbhadra Singh cannot be ignored.

"Virbhadra Singh himself had admitted many facts. Whatever details BJP leader Arun Jaitley has brought to fore, it makes the issue more serious," he added.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP also criticised the Congress' stand in protecting the leaders involved in Adarsh scam in Maharashtra, even after party's vice president Rahul Gandhi asked the state government to review the decision.

Alleging that there was an "open and shut case of corruption" against Virbhadra Singh over payments from a power company's promoter, Jaitley Dec 30 demanded a probe and action from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress.

At a press conference in Delhi, Jaitley alleged Virbhadra Singh accepted money to the tune of Rs.1.5 crore and Rs.2.4 crore, through cheques in his and his wife and MP Pratibha Singh's name, from Venture Energy and Technology Pvt. Ltd.

Virbhadra Singh has already termed the allegations "politically motivated".