Shimla: Health minister Kaul Singh Thakur hit out at his own government for trying to defame him, accusing the chief minister and a senior police officer for allegedly being behind leaking of a controversial audio CD.
Recording of the contentious audio recordings of telephone conversations, allegedly in the voice of the health minister in conversation a woman, couriered to select media from an Uttam Nagar address in Uttarakhand, reached the reporters two days ago.
“Not sure whether the CD contains my voice or not but what I infer from reading the newspapers, it has released solely with the purpose of tarnishing my image in public,” a visibly agitated Kaul Singh Thakur said here at an early day press conference held at 9.30 a.m. today.
“How is it that a questionable CD has found its way into the media at a time when the CBI has initiated a preliminary investigation into the income returns of the chief minister and his family members,” the minister questioned.
Demanding removal of HP Resident Commissioner at New Delhi, a position held by a senior IPS officer, the health minister said that the police officer against all norms was holding dual charge both as Resident Commissioner Delhi as well as Deputy Inspector General (CID & Vigilance).
“The CD is sent by one Suraj Singh of Uttam Nagar, but I accuse the resident commissioner for leaking the recorded audio conversations as he was the officer who investigated the phone tapping case of the previous BJP government,” said Kaul Singh.
Our government had much noise about the illegal phone tapping case of the previous BJP government and had even confiscated CID computers, but nothing else has come out of it, he added.
“An IAS officer should immediately be given charge as Resident Commissioner Delhi as the post belongs to the cadre,” said the embattled minister.
Challenging the supremacy of chief minister Virbhadra Singh, the rebellious minister said, “Congress did not come to power in Himachal because of any individual but it was because of the hard work of a lot of party workers.”
“All know who wanted to leave the party before the assembly elections. I stepped down as congress president in the interest of the party,” said Kaul Singh before giving credit to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi for the 2012 Congress victory in Himachal Pradesh elections.
Accusing the chief minister of partisan politics, Kaul Singh said that ever since Congress returned to power, he and his supporters were being pushed aside.
Defiant but with no plans to quit the cabinet he said, “I have run out of patience and will not taking things lying down.”
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads the team of media professionals at Hill Post.
In a career spanning over two decades through all formats of journalism in Electronic, Print and Online Media, he brings with him enough experience to steer this platform. He lives in Shimla.
