Apologise or face action, says CM

Una, Apr 6 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today dared the opposition BJP to approach the Lokayukta on its charge sheet against the state Congress government and said it should either withdraw its charge or face the conseqences.

Addressing a rally here, he said the BJP's chargesheet against the state government was an annual ritual with the party making unsubstantiated charges against the ministers.'' Mr Singh complimented Revenue Minister Sat Mahajan for having approached the Lokayukta after the BJP levelled corruption charges against him and his ministry.

Mr Mahajan has requested the Lokayukta to inquire into the charges and register cases against them if no case could be made out against him, he said.

Advising other state ministers to follow suit, he said all the ministers against whom charges have been levelled by the BJP should file similar complaints with the Lokayukta.

He lamented at the reason for parliamentary by-elections were being held after the Lok Sabha Speaker expelled 11 MPs in the ''cash for query'' scam. ''The BJP should clarify to the people why their MP was expelled for the Lok Sabha.'' Cornering the BJP on the issue of Ram temple at Ayodhya, allegedly to garner Hindu votes, he said the Congressmen were no less Hindus than the BJP workers.

The Chief Minister said he was willing to perform ''Kar sewa' at the Ram temple, if the construction of the temple would help in poverty alleviation, improving health, education and industrial infastructure or making the country a world super power.

However, the Congress was for secularism since it never mixed politics with religion, he said.

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