Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has filed a defamation case against Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Arun Jaitley and PK Dhumal. The three opposition leaders have alleged that the Congress leader accepted Rs. 1.5 crore and Rs. 2.4 crore through cheques in his and his parliamentarian wife Pratibha Singh’s name from Venture Energy and Technology Pvt Ltd, which was executing a power project in the state.
Thakur last week had asked Virbhadra to quit and sought a CBI probe in corruption charges against him.
“Virbhadra Singh claims he is innocent. Why is he shying off from a CBI probe,” Thakur said.
The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaitley said: “Virbhadra Singh has dared anyone to either lodge an FIR against him or prove the allegations of corruption”.
“The Congress party and Virbhadra Singh have decided to brazen out the allegations of corruption. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will hide behind silence,” Jaitley wrote on a blog post.
Former Himachal CM Dhumal has claimed that despite most ministers opposed to re-allocating the project to Venture Energy and Technology Pvt Ltd, Virbhadra went ahead with the decision in 2005.
