)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to cancel the membership of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh from the Himachal Legislative Assembly and that of his wife Pratibha Singh from the Lok Sabha. The BJP has accused them of concealing facts in their election affidavits.
Anurag Singh Thakur, an MP and president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, has written to the ECI and alleged that the Himachal Pradesh chief minister received “crores of rupees” from one Vakamullla Chandresekhar. This, Singh writes, was given to Virbhadra Singh much before the Assembly elections. Since this, Thakur argues, is not shown in the chief minister’s or his wife’s affidavit, therefore, their memberships should be cancelled.
Last week, BJP leader Arun Jaitley had called a press conference and alleged that the Himachal Pradesh CM had got monetary compensation from Chandresekhar, in exchange for favours being extended to his company, Venture Energy and Technology Private Limited.
A day after the BJP’s youth activists staged a protest outside Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s home, members of the National Student Union of India (NSUI) demonstrated near BJP President Rajnath Singh’s residence. The protesters said the BJP should address issues of corruption first within its party.
The Himachal CM yesterday rushed to Delhi and sought a meeting with either Congress President Sonia Gandhi or her son, Rahul Gandhi. Today, while Rahul was not in the Capital, he was unable to meet Sonia. He had to then contend with meeting Ambika Soni, in-charge of the party in Himachal Pradesh.
