Virbhadra lands in Delhi to explain bribery allegations

Accused by BJP of taking bribe, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh arrived here on Monday to present his version to the Congress high command while slamming the opposition party of indulging in “malicious propaganda” against him and his family.

Mr. Singh is understood to have been called here by the high command in the wake of the allegations by BJP Leader Arun Jaitley that he had taken a “bribe” from a private company for extension of a project.

He is expected to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and possibly Rahul Gandhi to explain his position in the matter at a time when Congress is seeking to take a high moral ground on the issue of corruption prodded by party vice-president.

The Chief Minister’s wife Prathiba Singh, who has also been accused, visited the AICC headquarters and met senior party leaders.

As he arrived here, Mr. Singh insisted that he had taken no bribe and issued an eight-page statement seeking to rebut Mr. Jaitley’s charges point by point.

“Frustrated BJP leaders are fabricating false stories and twisting and tampering facts to suit their convenience. They have been waging the same old issues pertaining to my income tax return and loan taken by my family, which have been replied and clarified time and again and there is nothing material or new in them” Mr. Singh said.

In his statement, Mr. Singh alleged that the BJP leaders and their comrades-in-arm have been on a malicious propaganda against him and his family members ever since he took charge of the election campaign in his state last year and led the Congress party to victory in Assembly elections.

“As the Congress party and the government in the state has started to grow from strength to strength and the wrongdoings of the previous BJP government especially former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and his sons are getting exposed, personal attacks against me have grown in equal momentum and volume,” he said.