Virbhadra should resign before people oust him: Shanta

Former chief minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shanta Kumar on Saturday said the Virbhadra Singh-led government has “lost people’s support” and asked the chief minister to step down.

“The Kotkhai rape and murder case is astonishing. People have lost faith in the Congress government. This is for first time that public anger against a probe led to torching of police stations in the state,” he said.

“Before people oust him, Virbhadra Singh should step down himself,” he added.

Meanwhile, during the second day of its state executive meet in Shimla, the BJP passed a resolution condemning the “deteriorating” law and order situation in Himachal Pradesh.

Moving the resolution in the first session of the meet on Saturday, Shimla legislator Suresh Bhardwaj accused the Virbhadra Singh-led Congress government of compromising state’s development at the hands of the “mafia that rules the roost”.

He also termed Virbhadra’s tenure as a “black chapter” in the state’s history. Bhardwaj said, “Under the present government, developmental works have come to a standstill. The people are being inconvenienced while a mafia is ruling the roost.”

He added that the situation can be understood from the fact that the chief minister had to seek bail from a CBI court in connection with corruption cases pending against him.