No vendetta against Virbhadra: Dhumal

Himachal CM criticised Singh for putting the blame of his legal defeat on others rather than gracefully accepting the HC verdict.

Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal rejected charges of “political vendetta” levelled against him by Union Minister Virbhadra Singh. He criticised Singh for putting the blame of his legal defeat on others rather than gracefully accepting the HC verdict.

“It’s neither political vendetta nor conspiracy against Virbhadra Singh. It’s simply the law having taken its course and he (Union Minister) should know that no one is above the law. So it’s time to face trial on corruption charges and come out clean,” Dhumal said.

On Sunday,Singh had accused the Chief Minister of allegedly unleashing the entire state machinery against him to fabricate corruption cases. Singh had said it was Dhumal and not him who needed to come clean on corruption charges.

Singh’s remarks came after the Himachal Pradesh High Court rejected his petition to dismiss an FIR against him or transfer the controversial CD case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Dhumal said the Union Minister had not shown the slightest bit of grace by accepting the court verdict. The CM said perhaps he (Singh) already knew the truth stated in the FIR. Virbhadra Singh,who was CM in 2003-2007,and his wife Pratibha were booked on corruption charges in June 2009. The FIR was based on a CD released by former Congress minister Major (Retd) Vijai Singh Mankotia in 2007.