A day after the Centre Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a corruption case against him, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh on Sunday denied all charges saying that he has “nothing to hide”.
“I was on the way to the temple for my daughters marriage ceremony when I encountered the CBI Team outside my house at Shimla. I proceeded to the wedding ceremony, opened my house doors to the CBI and asked them to check what they want, as I have nothing to hide,” Virbhadra Singh wrote on microblogging site Twitter.
The CBI on Saturday registered a case against Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha to probe allegations that the former union steel minister amassed disproportionate assets worth Rs 6.03 crore during his stint in 2009-12. It also carried out searches on premises at 13 locations in Himachal Pradesh and New Delhi — including Singh’s official and private residences (Holy Lodge in Shimla and Jantar Mantar in central Delhi), ancestral palace (‘Padam Palace’ at Rampur Bushahr), and Mehrauli-based farmhouse — of the other accused named in the FIR and unnamed suspects.
The raids surprised Singh, coming on the day his daughter was getting married. An 18-member CBI team arrived at his Shimla residence within minutes of the family leaving for a temple at 7.30am to solemnise the marriage of his second daughter.
{{/usCountry}}The raids surprised Singh, coming on the day his daughter was getting married. An 18-member CBI team arrived at his Shimla residence within minutes of the family leaving for a temple at 7.30am to solemnise the marriage of his second daughter.
{{/usCountry}}Meanhwhile, his cabinet colleagues, came out in support of Singh and that they would fight the battle legally and politically.
Condemning the move, information and public relations minister Mukesh Agnihotri said the chief minister would not step down as he is one of the tallest leaders of the Congress party. “We all are with him and he will again come out clean,” he said.
“We object the timing of the raid as the Bihar elections have been announced. The BJP is targeting the Congress while allegations of corruption are also against their own chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhara Raje and foreign minister Sushma Swaraj,” he added.
Read: FIR against Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh, CBI raids his houses