BJP Alleges Multi-Crore Scams Tied to Himachal CM's Aides

The BJP has accused Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's close aides of being involved in multi-crore scams. The Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax department conducted raids in Hamirpur and Kangra districts, uncovering documents related to illegal activities and substantial cash deposits allegedly linked to Sukhu's confidants.

The BJP alleged on Wednesday that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (IT) department have recovered incriminating documents in the raids conducted recently, implicating two close confidants of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in scams worth crores.

The ED and IT department sleuths had conducted raids on the establishments and houses of some businessmen and contractors on June 29 and July 4 in Himachal's Hamirpur and Kangra districts. Investigation agencies collected documents after conducting raids at jewellery shops, petrol pumps, and crushers.

The BJP leaders alleged that the ED has drawn inferences regarding large-scale illegal mining and found that the chief minister's close confidants, Gian Chand and Pratap Chand, are involved in multi-crore scams. The ED reportedly uncovered evidence of Rs 8 crore being deposited in cash in a single account and suggested that the government openly favoured them, causing a significant loss to the state exchequer.

In a video statement, BJP MLA from Dharamshala, Sudhir Sharma, alleged that documents regarding land deals, cash transactions, and tenders managed by tweaking rules were found during the recent raids conducted by the ED and IT department on premises of some stone crushers and owners of hotels close to Sukhu.

Hoshiyar Singh, the BJP candidate for Dehra assembly seat bypoll, criticized Sukhu and referred to his government as a 'government of friends,' accusing the chief minister of giving undue benefits to his friends. Singh added that of all the crushers in the area, the one raided was the only one operational during the last year's monsoon calamity.