Congress terms corruption case against Virbhadra frivolous

The Congress termed as "frivolous" the corruption case filed against Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh by Himachal Pradesh Vigilance Bureau. "We have to look into the matter and I can assure you that frivolous allegations just to create a political atmosphere wont't do," party spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

Singhvi said that it appears that the FIR has been filed with "some ulterior motives". An FIR was registered under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 on Monday against Virbhadra Singh and his wife, Pratibha. The FIR registered against the duo relates to an audio CD released by former minister Vijay Singh Mankotia claiming it contained voice of Singh and his wife talking to retired IAS officer Mohinder Singh about alleged corruption. Singhvi said the tape relates to an incident years ago and the forensic report on the basis of which an FIR has been filed came a year ago.

The spokesman said the CD was used during political campaign and "it is not something on the basis of which we can jump to a conclusion". Dismissing the allegations, Singh had said "the FIR is a cheap gimmick which shall collapse under its own weight."