Pointing an accusing finger at Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal for having failed to declare his assets before the Assembly Speaker, the Congress yesterday came out with a list of his properties worth Rs 41.05 crore in the open market. Only one of the 15 properties listed was located in the hill state — a restaurant called Maclo at Mecleodganj in Dharamsala. The rest were in Punjab, that too, mainly in Jalandhar. CM dares Capt to prove charge or face case SHIMLA/ NEW DELHI: Rrefuting allegations of Congress leaders about his assets, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today threatened to file a defamation case against them if they failed prove these within two days. In a strongly-worded statement here, Dhumal said: “The baseless allegations levelled by Congress leaders only showed their frustration borne out of impending defeat of the party in the coming Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh.” In New Delhi, BJP spokesman Pramod Mahajan confirmed Dhumal’s stand. (ENS) Releasing the list, Congress spokesman Anand Sharma said the CM better explain why he chose Jalandhar as a ‘‘parking place’’ for his ‘‘ill-gotten’’ money. ‘‘He took the state deeper into debt, as the debt figure rose from Rs 500 crore to Rs 15,000 crore during his tenure,’’ Sharma said.Pointing to the rise in properties owned by the Dhumal family, Sharma said: ‘‘It is an apparent show of misuse of power and position to supplement his assets.’’When contacted over the phone, the CM’s son Arun Thakur said: ‘‘Anand Sharma seems to be knowing about our properties more than us.’’ He said Sharma does not have his facts right as most of the companies listed were formed in the sixties.
