Council of minister defends HP CM in money laundering case

Standing by chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who is under attack by BJP in alleged money laundering case, the council of Ministers today expressed solidarity with him and asserted that he has done nothing wrong.
A joint statement issued here today, all the ministers including Vidya Stokes, Kaul Singh Thakur and GS Bali accused the BJP of hatching a conspiracy against Virbhadra Singh to malign his image.
"But all of us are with him and we will not allow the BJP to succeed in its motives," the statement said.
The ministers said the BJP was unnecessarily disrupting the proceedings in the assembly which was against the democratic norms and law.

"Democracy runs with rules and regulations and the issue, on which the BJP is raising hue and cry against the Chief Minister, is pending in court and the chief minister has many times clarified that he had full faith in the judiciary," they said.
Meanwhile, four Independent MLAs - Kirnesh Jung, Pawan Kajal, Balbir Singh Verma and Manohar Dhiman, who are associate member of CLP today reposed full faith in the leadership of the chief minister.

"Our support to Congress government will continue till Singh is heading it, and we are supporting Congress only because it is led by Singh to whom there is no alternate in Congress," they said.

The MLAs criticised the BJP leaders for "nursing a desire to pull down the government eversince they were ousted by the people in assembly polls."
The BJP, on the other hand has demanded disqualification of four Independent MLAs from the house for issuing statement as associate members of Congress party.
In a statement issued here today, BJP MLAs Suresh Bhardwaj, former ministers Mahendra Singh and Ravinder Singh Ravi said that by issuing such statement, these MLAs had proved that they had joined Congress party.
"Under the Schedule 10 of Indian Constitution, no independent MLA can join a party or indulge in political activities of another party. But these MLAs have given in writing that they are the associate members of Congress party and hence, their membership of Vidhan Sabha should be cancelled on these grounds," they said.

They added that they would submit a letter to the assembly Speaker to take action against these MLAs.