The BJP has launched a campaign against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Congress leader Virbhadra Singh demanding his resignation after the Delhi High Court’s decision in the disproportionate assets case and filing of a charge sheet against him by the CBI last week. The BJYM and Kisan Morcha also joined the fight against Mr. Singh.
Senior BJP leader Suresh Bhardwaj said either the Chief Minister should own up moral responsibility and resign or the Congress should force him to quit. He demanded that the Assembly be dissolved and fresh elections announced.
However, Mr. Singh termed the action against him a conspiracy to destroy his public image. He accused the Enforcement Department (ED) of concealing facts and giving out a “concocted” value of the assets seized by it just to “sensationalise” the case. The Chief Minister claimed that he had bought the Mehrauli farmhouse, which had been over-assessed, with his own money and friendly loans.
The ED on Monday attached the ₹27.29-crore farmhouse in Delhi allegedly bought with the help of shell companies.
Mr. Singh saw a conspiracy by BJP leaders like Prem Kumar Dhumal, Anurag Thakur and Union Minister Arun Jaitley to defame him.
State BJYM president Vishal Chauhan said the charges against Mr. Singh were not levelled by the BJP but by the courts.
