Perturbed over the rounds of allegations and scaled up offensive against him and his family members by Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh, former chief minister and BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal has shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for a CBI probe into properties owned by him and all other leaders having held the chief minister’s office in Himachal.
“Ever since the Congress party has taken over the reins of the state government, baseless allegations about properties owned by my family members and me are being levelled. Some of the properties that figure in the list forwarded to additional director general of police have never been heard off,” Dhumal said in the letter.
He alleged that the CM had filed a complaint without affidavit, adding that a Dharamsala-based lawyer who filed the complaint was appointed as assistant advocate. “It appears that the lawyer was elevated only for filing a complaint,” said Dhumal, who has also enclosed a copy of list of his properties as claimed by the CM.
“I am also enclosing the so-called list of my properties. It is my humble request that an affidavit should be taken from the complainant and his claims should be the inquired into by the high court or the CBI. If our properties are more than what is filed in the affidavit during the elections and stated in income tax returns, the government can seize the properties and punish us under law,” Dhumal said, while adding that if the complaint turned out to be false, action should be taken against the complainant and those indulging in slander.
“There have been five chief ministers in the state so far. The initial CMs Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar and Ram Lal Thakur are no more. Then there is Shanta Kumar, Virbhadra Singh and myself. It’s my appeal to inquire into the properties of all these chief ministers either by the CBI or by a high court judge. The inquiry will bring forth the properties of all leaders before and after assuming office of chief minister,” said Dhumal, adding that certain people kept bragging about their honesty and simultaneously defamed others.
{{/usCountry}}“There have been five chief ministers in the state so far. The initial CMs Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar and Ram Lal Thakur are no more. Then there is Shanta Kumar, Virbhadra Singh and myself. It’s my appeal to inquire into the properties of all these chief ministers either by the CBI or by a high court judge. The inquiry will bring forth the properties of all leaders before and after assuming office of chief minister,” said Dhumal, adding that certain people kept bragging about their honesty and simultaneously defamed others.
{{/usCountry}}In his letter, Dhumal also referred to the defamation cases he filed against Congress leaders, including former Union minister Anand Sharma, former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Congress treasurer Moti Lal Vohra. While Capt Amarinder tendered an apology, cases against Sharma and Vohra are pending in court.