Dhumal misleading on hard disc issue: CM

Shimla, Dec 15 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today accused senior BJP leader of misleading the people of the state on the ''hard disc'' issue and alleged that the previous BJP Government had handed out jobs on recommendations.

Mr Singh, who released the entire list of the much talked about ''hard disc'', allegedly containing the recommendations made for various appointments through the chief minister's office in previous BJP Government here, said Mr Dhumal was ''misleading'' the people by issuing statements that forensic lab had given a clean chit on the hard disc episode.

''Two computers were seized by the authorities, while one of the computer disc did not contained any superfluous data, but names of candidates were found from the hard disc of other computer of the then chief minister,'' he said.

He claimed that Mr Dhumal was ''concealing facts and misleading the people'' by trying to befool them by producing a forensic report of the first computer.

''The second report submitted by the Directorate of Forensic Science to the Himachal Pradesh Enforcement Department, clearly exhibits the list of names of recommended candidates, '' he claimed.

Terming former chief minister a ''habitual offender'', he said, ''in a bid to hide its misdeeds the Dhumal government used to burn the record at the Himachal Pradesh Subordinate Service Selection Board after every three months''.

''Usually the government document is kept as a record for five years, but what were compelling reasons for the Dhumal Government to dispose of the official record in such an urgency,'' he questioned.

Mr Singh said in three different cases, the court has sentenced the then chairman of Subordinate Selection Board chairman, S.M.

Katwal, while investigations in other cases were underway.

''The Dhumal government had crossed all limits. It not only recommended the names of candidates for appointment, but went to the extent of advising the authorities for rejecting a few candidates as well,'' Mr Singh said.

The list of candidates whose names were suggested for rejection were also available in the hard disc, he said.

The Chief Minister said the serious allegations of corruption by the then ministers and legislators of the BJP government, headed by Prem Kumar Dhumal, were itself an evidence ''that corrupt practices were being followed by it''.

He expressed confidence that the party would return to power after the elections.

UNI