Chandigarh, February 9
Himachal Vikas Congress leader Sukh Ram today asked Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal to order an inquiry into the charges of corruption being levelled against him by the Congress during the run-up to the Assembly elections.
Speaking at a Meet-the-Press programme organised here by the Chandigarh Press Club, Mr Sukh Ram said the office of Chief Minister was a sensitive post. This office was in the eye of a political storm in Himachal Pradesh as a result of the massive advertisement campaign launched against the Chief Minister by the Congress in newspapers. It would, therefore, be in the interest of Mr Dhumal and that of the BJP to inquire into the charges to come to a definite conclusion, he asserted.
Mr Sukh Ram ducked a question on whether he regarded the recent raids conducted by PSEB officials on the residence and business premises of Mr Dhumal’s family at Jalandhar and said such happenings were not uncommon on the eve of elections. ‘‘Political parties always use whatever ammunition they have during electoral battles’’, he said.
The HVC leader complained that although his party had extended unstinted support to the BJP, which had enabled the Dhumal government to last its full five-year term in office, Mr Dhumal had done everything possible to undermine him and the HVC. Mr Sukh Ram said, “While Mr Dhumal had maintained that he was grateful to me for extending support to his government, privately he had gone to the extent of hatching a conspiracy with his Congress rival, Mr Virbhadra Singh, under which the Assembly was dissolved before the elections in a bid to prevent me from contesting the elections because of conviction in court. But I am happy that the returning officer of Mandi had acted in an impartial manner and accepted my nomination papers as candidate from the Mandi (Sadar) constituency’’.
Mr Sukh Ram said that the HVC had put up candidates from 50 constituencies and was extending support to a few other candidates belonging to the CPI, the CPM and the Congress. He predicted that his party would win not less than 20 seats in the elections and
would be in a position to form the government with the support of either the Congress or the BJP. He stated, ‘‘the results of the elections will be a surprise for many. Parties like the BJP and the Congress, which are confidently predicting a victory in the elections, may have to eat their words and do a Jammu and Kashmir in Himachal Pradesh by supporting my party to form the government’’.
Mr Sukh Ram recalled that in 1998, when his party had just come into being, it was stated by many that the HVC would not be able to open its account in the Assembly. ‘‘We not only had five MLAs in the Assembly, but now have one MP in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha. The HVC secured 12 per cent votes state-wide and 32 per cent of the votes cast in my home district of Mandi. Now we have a statewide infrastructure and will be able to put up a much better performance during the elections.’’
Mr Sukh Ram admitted that he was very keen on having a pre-poll alliance with the Congress because he had been was steeped in Congress culture and had spent most of his 35 years in public life in the Congress. He said, ‘‘but my attempt to seek an alliance with the Congress did not fructify because of opposition of just one person, Mr Virbhadra Singh, whom the Congress high command was in no position to annoy. The BJP too was keen on having an alliance with us and some of the BJP leaders had met the President of the HVC, Mr Anil Sharma, but things did not work out.’’ He said the party would fight the elections on economic issues.
