The Himachal Pradesh Bhartiya Janata Party on Saturday released property papers and photographs of some recently acquired farm houses of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his kin in Mehrauli near New Delhi to media persons. Party general secretary Randhir Sharma, while demanding a reply from the Chief Minister on his massive property deals, alleged that huge stamp duty had been evaded in the transactions.
The party decided to continue its boycott of Chief Minister even outside the Vidhan Sabha. Declaring this, after the last day of the budget session on Friday, the Leader of the Opposition, Prem Kumar Dhumal, and State party president Satpal Satti said the BJP had decided to “socially boycott” Mr. Virbhadra Singh for his continuous bad mouthing of the Opposition at every available opportunity. Instead of offering an apology for calling the Opposition legislators “bonded labourers” of former Chief Minister and his family, Mr. Singh was endlessly slighting them inside and outside the House, the BJP president said.
The party had decided that its MLAs would not welcome the Chief Minister in their constituencies on his official visits and would boycott all his formal functions. They would not go to any of the Vidhan Sabha committee meetings presided over by him. The State Assembly that was adjourned sine die on Friday did not pass the Lokayukta Bill, and referred it to a House Select Committee.
The bill listed for passing was introduced on February 19 and was to repeal the Himachal Pradesh Lokayukta Bill of 1983.
