Shimla: A day after Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu claimed six Congress rebels and three independents were sold for Rs 15 crore each, one of them, Sudhir Sharma, Friday sent a defamation notice to him asking for a Rs 5-crore compensation.
Sharma is one of the Congress rebels. During a rally in Himachal's Una district, Sukhu had on Thursday alleged that the Congress rebels are corrupt and will go behind bars.
He had said "we do not have money but we have honesty, morality and support of the people" and alleged that the six Congress rebels and three independents were sold for Rs 15 crore each.
"We have proof as the facts have started unfolding in the police investigation and time has come to teach them a lesson," he had added. The CM had made the remarks against the nine legislators including six Congress rebels and three independents who had voted in favour of BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha polls held on February 27.
These MLA had later joined the BJP and the six Congress rebels who were disqualified for defying a whip to be present in the assembly and vote in favour of the government during the cut motions and the budget were given tickets by the BJP from their respective assembly constituencies.
The police had registered an FIR against Independent MLA Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur) and Rakesh Sharma, father of Congress rebel Chetanya Sharma (Gagret), and others for "electoral offences", bribery and criminal conspiracy.
The notice sent by the former minister and BJP candidate from Dharamshala assembly seat, Sudhir Sharma, said the statements and speeches of the chief minister which are false, derogatory and defamatory with no basics and substance, have been widely circulated through videos and newspapers, damaging his reputation, especially at a time when he is contesting the bypolls.
"There is neither any iota of truth in the CM's speeches nor he possesses any proof of the alleged false statements made in the public," it said. "If urgent and remedial actions are not taken by you within the appropriate period, civil and criminal proceedings would be initiated in the competent Court of law for falsehood and malicious propaganda", the notice said.
Meanwhile, two other Congress rebels, Rajendra Rana and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal from Sujanpur and Barsar assembly seats respectively, on Friday said all the nine legislators will file a defamation suit against the chief minister and a notice of criminal case will also be sent.
"All the six expelled Congress party legislators have decided to file a defamation case in a court against the CM for making false allegations against them, " they said in a statement, adding that Sukhu should seek an apology from them and the public for making derogatory remarks against them.
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