The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sunday, August 20, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

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Cong submits “charge sheet”
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Aug 19 — Listing serious allegations of corruption, nepotism and breakdown of law and order against the BJP-HVC combine government in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress today submitted a “charge sheet” to the Governor, Mr Vishnu Kant Shastri, demanding dismissal of the state government and a CBI inquiry into the omissions and commissions of the government.

The 113-paged “charge sheet” was presented to the Governor by the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh and the PCC chief, Mr Sat Mahajan, who led the Congress legislators and other functionaries of the party to Raj Bhavan here this morning.

The Congress leaders demanded immediate dismissal of the state government headed by Mr P.K. Dhumal, in view of the serious charges of “corruption, nepotism, financial mismanagement and deterioration in law and order in the state”.

Addressing mediapersons after presenting the “charge sheet” to the Governor, Mr Virbhadra Singh said the Chief Minister was shielding corrupt ministers, officials and BJP functionaries.

Departmentwise, instances of alleged irregularities have been listed in the charge sheet along with document of proof. It has been alleged that the government had suppressed a sex scandal in which two ministers and a BJP leader were involved.

The “charge sheet” alleged that the BJP had converted Himachal Pradesh into an ‘‘extended colony of Punjab’’ by entrusting the government to “deputationists” from Punjab who had no commitment to the state’s long-term interests.

Serious allegations of misuse of power against the PWD Minister, Mr Mohinder Singh, have been made in the “charge sheet”. Allegations of favouritism in government recruitment, erosion of authority of Panchayati Raj institutions, atrocities on weaker sections, large-scale encroachments on government and forest land by the ruling BJP activists, atrocities on women and saffronisation of educational institutions have also been made in the “charge sheet”.

The “charge sheet” has painted a grim scenario of the financial position of the state with the Dhumal government going in for large-scale market borrowings for running day-to-day affairs of the government. It has been alleged that while in the opposition the BJP had continuously carried out a sustained disinformation campaign against the Congress regime for raising loans to the tune of Rs 800 crore in a period of four years without having received a single penny from the Centre as assistance, now even after having a central assistance of about Rs 900 crore during the past two years, the BJP-HVC combine government had resorted to raising of loans amounting to Rs 1500 crore through statutory and government companies.

Having “plundered” its resources, the BJP-led government had gone to the extent of approving felling of green trees for commercial purposes, thereby enabling the forest mafia to penetrate the protected forests.

The “charge sheet” alleged that huge loans taken by certain ministers from the State Financial Corporation had been written off.

It demanded a “white paper” on utilisation of the Kargil Martyrs Fund which was collected in the Chief Minister’s office.

The “charge sheet” has pointed out complaints of irregular allotment of a “nautor” land had been received against a sitting MP and his brother, who was a minister. Another BJP leader had encroached upon a wildlife sanctuary area in Bilaspur district.

It has been alleged that the PWD has become a symbol of corruption. Contracts were being awarded on verbal instructions of the minister.

A senior functionary of the BJP had been rewarded by illegally transferring a petrol station of the Civil Supplies Corporation to his wife. The interests of the state were not being watched while signing MoUs for construction of power projects. Lesser qualified persons had been appointed in universities and other establishments of the government.

Thakur Kaul Singh, who headed the five-member committee for framing the “charge sheet”, said another volume of omissions and commissions against the Dhumal government would be brought out soon as more complaints were pouring in.