HP Cabinet backs beleaguered Virbhadra

Expressing solidarity with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, all 10 Ministers of his Cabinet today dismissed the corruption charges levelled against him by BJP leader Arun Jaitley as "frivolous and fabricated".
"The entire Cabinet is strongly behind Virbhadra Singh, who has successfully led the Congress government in the state to fulfill the hopes and expectations of the people in the last one year," the Ministers said, rubbishing the charges against the CM as "preposterous and politically motivated".
They alleged that BJP leaders were making unsubstantiated personal attacks on Singh out of "sheer desperation" in light of the ongoing probes against them in various cases.

"As the ongoing probes on the basis of charge sheet submitted by Congress against the misrule and misdeeds of the previous BJP government in the state are gaining momentum, the BJP leaders are feeling more frustrated," they said.
Several cases against former Chief Minister P K Dhumal and other BJP leaders, like phone-tapping, HPCA scams, illegal land purchase, Bemloe Construction issue, among others, were in advanced stage of investigation, due to which they are "frustrated," they said.
Asserting that the entire Cabinet stood "solidly" behind Singh, they alleged that there was foul play to involve him in false cases and malign his reputation and added that BJP was targeting him as the Lok Sabha elections were nearing.

They urged the Congress High Command to give a befitting reply to the BJP leadership, which was "conniving and conspiring to destabilise the popular Congress government" in the state headed by Singh.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister today said he was not "summoned" by the Congress High Command in connection with the corruption allegations against him, but had gone to Delhi to celebrate the New Year with his family.
Singh, who flew to Kullu from Delhi, said all the charges levelled against him by BJP were "false, baseless and politically motivated" to sully his image.