Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu made startling allegations on Thursday, claiming that Congress rebel Devendra Bhutto, now a BJP candidate, had received funds from the BJP and brought a small suitcase of items received from them. He further revealed that Rs 55 lakh had been seized in Barsar as part of the ongoing investigations.
Bhutto, now contesting for the bypoll on the Kutehar assembly seat under the BJP banner, is one of six former Congress rebel MLAs who voted for the BJP nominee in the February Rajya Sabha election. Disqualified for not attending the state’s budget and cut motions, they are now contesting on BJP tickets from their respective constituencies.
Addressing a political rally in Una for party candidate Satpal Raizada, Sukhu urged voters to unite against Bhutto, whom he accused of distributing money to influence votes. Sukhu warned, “If Bhutto distributes money, take double because it is your money.” He also labeled Bhutto as a mining mafia and pledged strict action against him.
The Chief Minister’s remarks came in the wake of an FIR lodged against Bhutto and his son Karan by the Kangra police for allegedly securing a government contract through forged documents.
Sukhu didn’t mince words in his criticism of Bhutto, accusing him of greed and deceit. He recounted instances of Bhutto’s alleged attempts to influence tenders and cited a significant increase in his assets over a short period.
“In 2022, Bhutto declared assets worth around Rs 5 crore, and after 14 months, he declared Rs 15 crore in his affidavit. His son’s assets, which were nothing in 2022, are now shown as Rs 5 crore in the affidavit. What magic wand increased his assets by 14 crore rupees in 14 months?” Sukhu questioned.