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BJP denies Verma's hand in rebel's murder

The Bharatiya Janata Party today described as baseless the charge that former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma was involved in the murder of Samata Party candidate Ved Singh on Tuesday night.

BJP vice-president Krishan Lal Sharma said there was no question of Verma's involvement in the incident.

"The charges being levelled against him are mala fide and politically motivated. We condemn it," he said.

He demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation to bring out the facts and punish the culprits. There should be no delay in instituting the inquiry, he said.

When it was pointed out that the father of the dead man had named Verma's family members as the culprits, the BJP leader said the inquiry would take into account all aspects.

He did not agree with Union Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism Minister Madan Lal Khurana's observation yesterday that law and order is deteriorating in the capital. The killing was an isolated case and seemed to have been caused by a land dispute, he said.

Sharma, however, failed to convince reporters that the charge made by the Samata Party, an ally of the BJP in the central government, that another of its candidates is also being threatened, is false.

Besides, another BJP rebel candidate, M M Agarwal (Shalimar Bagh), is reported missing since yesterday.

UNI

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