Congress rebel sends defamation notice to Himachal CM Sukhu

Shimla: A day after Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu claimed six Congress rebels and three independents were sold for Rs 15 crore each, one of them, Sudhir Sharma, Friday sent a defamation notice to him asking for a Rs 5-crore compensation.

Sharma is one of the Congress rebels.

During a rally in Himachal's Una district, Sukhu had on Thursday alleged that the Congress rebels are corrupt and will go behind bars.

He had said "we do not have money but we have honesty, morality and support of the people" and alleged that the six Congress rebels and three independents were sold for Rs 15 crore each.

"We have proof as the facts have started unfolding in the police investigation and time has come to teach them a lesson," he had added.

The CM had made the remarks against the nine legislators including six Congress rebels and three independents who had voted in favour of BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha polls held on February 27.

These MLA had later joined the BJP and the six Congress rebels who were disqualified for defying a whip to be present in the assembly and vote in favour of the government during the cut motions and the budget were given tickets by the BJP from their respective assembly constituencies.

The police had registered an FIR against Independent MLA Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur) and Rakesh Sharma, father of Congress rebel Chetanya Sharma (Gagret), and others for "electoral offences", bribery and criminal conspiracy.