The Hindu : BJP charges Cong. with `double standards'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 06, 2003

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BJP charges Cong. with `double standards'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH 5. The Bharatiya Janata Party today cried foul against the Congress today charging that by deciding to anoint Veerbhadra Singh as the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, it had shown that it preferred to look the other way when it came to charges of corruption against its men.

The BJP spokesperson, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, said the Congress had been demanding the resignation of Ministers L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi as they were accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, and the Opposition party had refused to recognise George Fernandes as the Defence Minister because he had not been cleared of charges made by the Tehelka revelations. "Yet, now they have chosen a person to lead the Himachal Government who has a corruption case against him and is now on bail," Mr. Malhotra said.e circulated to the press the details of the case: in 1997-98 some `khair wood' worth over Rs. two lakhs from the Himachal Pradesh Forest Corporation stock had been allotted to a private party.

It was alleged that Mr. Singh as the then Chief Minister had shown "undue favour" to this party. The case was submitted to the special judge, Shimla, for judicial verdict on October 22 last and the next date of hearing was on March 7.Mr. Malhotra's case was that though the BJP did not expect the BJP Ministers accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case to resign, it expected the Congress not to appoint Mr. Singh as Chief Minister because the party had demanded the resignation of the BJP Ministers.e BJP expressed shock at the jumbo Cabinet being inducted in Meghalaya and said it was willing to work out a political consensus on the issue of limiting the size of the Council of Ministers in each State to 10 per cent of the strength of the Assembly. But this would have to be done through a Constitution amendment bill.

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