CHANDIGARH: Former Haryana Minister Chhatar Pal Singh last week accused Chief Minister Bhajan Lal of “concocting evidence” to justify his dismissal on a “false charge” of misbehavior with an air hostess on a Goa-Delhi flight on May 30.
Addressing a press conference Chhatar Pal Singh denied he was sitting on any of the seats 6A B and C which according to the evidence produced by the Chief Minister were occupied by passengers who indulged in “indecent behavior.”
The dismissed minister pointed out that Bhajan Lal had mentioned the names of Union Minister Krishna Kumar and party MP Mani Shanker Aiyer as eye-witness of the incident but both had denied that they saw anything Krishna Kumar Aiyer and AICC General Secretary Ahmed Patel had also denied that they informed Bhajan Lal about the incident Chhatar Pal said adding that it was Bhajan Lal who rang them up on his own.
Chhatar Pal said he had brought all this to the notice of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and sought his permission to prosecute Bhajan Lal for defamation The Prime Minister had told him that he would intervene if Chhatar Pal was innocent. According to Chhatar Pal the Chief Minister had dismissed him because he spoke without any inhibitions at Cabinet meetings. Besides he believed in loyalty to the party while Bhajan Lal wanted personal loyalty.
Asked what he would do if expelled from the party by the state leadership Chhatar Pal said he could always appeal to the central leadership “who know my services and loyalty to the party.”
Article extracted from this publication >> July 1, 1994
