Jaswan-Paragpur MLA Bikram Singh Thakur has accused the state government of pursuing the “politics of vendetta” after the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a case against former Dehra MLA Hoshiyar Singh over the alleged misappropriation of public funds under the MLA Discretionary Grant Scheme. He alleged that the Congress government was selectively targeting opposition leaders while ignoring allegations against those in power. Bikram, in a press statement issued in Dharamsala, termed the Vigilance action against Hoshiyar Singh as a “politically-motivated conspiracy” and alleged that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was setting a dangerous precedent that could have long-term consequences for the state’s democratic institutions.

He questioned the government’s silence over allegations that Rs 50,000 each was transferred to the bank accounts of Mahila Mandals during the Dehra Assembly byelection.

The former BJP minister said that his party had raised serious objections over the issue and demanded an impartial probe but no investigation had been initiated so far. “If the government is serious about tackling corruption, investigations should be carried out impartially and not on the basis of political affiliation,” he added. He asked why the Vigilance had not shown similar urgency in the Mahila Mandal fund transfer case.

The MLA alleged that Hoshiyar Singh was being targeted over a “personal and family matter” to tarnish his image. He added that Hoshiyar Singh had a long record of helping poor and needy families through his personal resources and expressed confidence that a fair investigation would bring out the truth.

Bikram alleged that the government was using investigative agencies to intimidate opposition leaders. He cited cases involving Hamirpur MLA Ashish Sharma and Dharamsala MLA Sudhir Sharma and alleged that they, too, had faced politically-motivated action.

He said that the BJP would not be intimidated by such actions and the party was documenting alleged irregularities committed during the Congress rule. He added that the BJP would present these facts before the public and seek impartial investigations, if voted to power.