File photo of Virbhadra Singh.
New Delhi/Shimla:
BJP on Monday alleged that Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh took "bribe" from a private power firm, calling the case a "test" for Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi on how they respond to it following their recent "anger" and outbursts in the Adarsh Society housing scam.
Demanding a CBI probe into the "most open and shut case of corruption", BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, wanted to know what action he, the Congress President and Vice President would take against Virbhadra Singh.
The chief minister has been accused by the BJP of taking a "bribe" for granting extension to a private power firm for a project.
Mr Singh rejected the charges as "false and highly defamatory" and said he was ready to face any enquiry ordered by the Prime Minster.
The Congress, while dismissing the allegations, dared the BJP to move court or approach appropriate investigating agencies if it had any proof.
At a news conference in Delhi, Mr Jaitley also alleged that the wife and children of Mr Singh were made shareholders in another firm of the same promoter, who owns the power company, apparently in exchange of the favour showed by the state government.
"This is a test for Congress too. This is a test for Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi too. Do they still feel angry on seeing these facts... This will show if their recent outburst on corruption in the Adarsh case was a put on... or it was a genuine reaction or was contrived anger," he said.
In his five-page letter to the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said these were cases which required an immediate investigation by both Income Tax authorities and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
"Of all the cases I have seen till now, I have no hesitation in saying this is an open and shut case against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh... How can such a person continue to be Chief Minister of a state of India," Mr Jaitley said.
Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit said Mr Jaitley's allegations didn't mean much.
"Such things have come earlier also. Earlier when Virbhadra Singh was not the Chief Minister and there was a BJP government in Himachal Pradesh, many allegations were leveled against him but nothing came out of them at the end of it as inquiries were held," he told reporters in Delhi.
"If he (Jaitley) has evidence, let him take that to the court or to the investigative agencies," he added.
Mr Singh said the allegations are a "sinister attempt" to tarnish his image. "I will take appropriate action at an appropriate time including legal recourse," he told mediapersons in Palampur.
Demanding a CBI probe into the "most open and shut case of corruption", BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, wanted to know what action he, the Congress President and Vice President would take against Virbhadra Singh.
The chief minister has been accused by the BJP of taking a "bribe" for granting extension to a private power firm for a project.
Mr Singh rejected the charges as "false and highly defamatory" and said he was ready to face any enquiry ordered by the Prime Minster.
The Congress, while dismissing the allegations, dared the BJP to move court or approach appropriate investigating agencies if it had any proof.
At a news conference in Delhi, Mr Jaitley also alleged that the wife and children of Mr Singh were made shareholders in another firm of the same promoter, who owns the power company, apparently in exchange of the favour showed by the state government.
"This is a test for Congress too. This is a test for Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi too. Do they still feel angry on seeing these facts... This will show if their recent outburst on corruption in the Adarsh case was a put on... or it was a genuine reaction or was contrived anger," he said.
In his five-page letter to the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said these were cases which required an immediate investigation by both Income Tax authorities and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
"Of all the cases I have seen till now, I have no hesitation in saying this is an open and shut case against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh... How can such a person continue to be Chief Minister of a state of India," Mr Jaitley said.
Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit said Mr Jaitley's allegations didn't mean much.
"Such things have come earlier also. Earlier when Virbhadra Singh was not the Chief Minister and there was a BJP government in Himachal Pradesh, many allegations were leveled against him but nothing came out of them at the end of it as inquiries were held," he told reporters in Delhi.
"If he (Jaitley) has evidence, let him take that to the court or to the investigative agencies," he added.
Mr Singh said the allegations are a "sinister attempt" to tarnish his image. "I will take appropriate action at an appropriate time including legal recourse," he told mediapersons in Palampur.
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