BJP govt allotted 150 bighas in Baddi to pharma firm for mere Rs 1.81 cr: CM

The two-day debate on corruption concluded in the Vidhan Sabha today with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu filing a reply to allegations levelled by the BJP against his government. While the Opposition targeted the state government over corruption during its two-year tenure, the Congress legislators highlighted corruption during the previous BJP government in the state.

The BJP legislators, led by Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, challenged the government to get cases registered against them over alleged corruption charges, as the Congress was in power in the state. They walked out of the House alleging that the Chief Minister was giving false information. They raised slogans against the government and the Chief Minister.

Sukhu, while participating in the debate, alleged that the previous Jai Ram Thakur government had given 150 bighas worth around Rs123 crore to Indo Pharma Pvt. Ltd at Malku Majra in the Baddi Assembly constituency for Rs 1.81 crore at the rate of Rs 250 per square metre. The government gave additional 150 bighas to the company at the rate of Re 1 per square metre. Now, this company was carving out plots of the land and selling them to other industries, he alleged.

The Chief Minister said that the owner of the company was given land in the name of a tractor company earlier also. When around 20 to 25 kanals of the total land granted to the company were still vacant, why it was given more land.

Sukhu alleged that while in the opposition the BJP had levelled allegation that Harsh Mahajan, who is now its Rajya Sabha member, became the Chairman of Himachal Pradesh Cooperative Bank from 2013-2017 allegedly by tampering with documents. The BJP had made these allegations in its charge sheet and the then Chief MInister Jai Ram Thakur had initiated a vigilance inquiry against Mahajan in 2018.

He said that in 2019, the Vigilance investigation officer wrote in his report that there was evidence of tampering and overwriting in the cash book records to show this person as a member of Keonthal Cooperative MP Society to make him the Chairman of the Bord of Directors. “The documents were tampered with so that he could participate in the elections of the Board of Directors of the bank and become its Chairman. He left the Congress and joined the BJP on September 28, 2022, and within two months, Jai Ram Thakur closed the investigation on November 24, 2022,” Sukhu added.

The Chief Minister said that some of the opposition colleagues had mentioned a letter bomb. “As the matter has come out, it will go a long way. The office of BJP MLA Janak Raj was found to be involved in it. The MLA had apologised to me and I forgave him, but now that BJP members were raising the issue, I would respond to it,” he added.

He said that in this case, an FIR was registered at Boileauganj police station. It was found in investigation that it was Janak Raj’s birthday and one of his supporters, Manoj Kumar Sharma, took a photo on his mobile phone in his office at Bharmour and made the letter viral on August 18, 2023. The MLA was also present there at that time. Forensic investigation proved that the MLA’s supporter had taken the photo on his phone and made viral.

Sukhu said that this letter was written in the name of Anmol Singh Thakur and the complainant had said that “I work in the HPPCL”. However, the investigation revealed that no person with this name worked in the HPPCL. This clearly showed that the letter was fake and its sole purpose was to defame the Chief Minister’s Office.

Scam in Pekhubela solar project installation alleged

• The BJP alleged there was a scam in the installation of a 32 MW solar power plant by Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd in the Pekhubela area of Una district
• Former Industries Minister and BJP’s Jaswan Pragpur MLA Bikram Thakur alleged that a 35 MW solar power plant was set up in Gujarat at a cost of Rs 144 crore while in Pekhubela, HP Power Corporation Ltd installed a same capacity solar power plant at a cost of Rs 220 crore
• He alleged there was a scam in the installation of the solar power plant in Pekhubela and demanded an inquiry into the matter
• “If we compare the Pekhubela solar power project with the projects of Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd of 168 MW, 18 MW, 20 MW and 18 MW installed capacity, the cost of our project is better,” said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu
• Sukhu claimed that the facts presented by Bikram Thakur were incorrect as the installation cost of the Gujarat project the latter was referring to had also risen above Rs 200 crore