"Will send Rs 2 crore defamation notice to BJP MLA over baseless extortion claims": Congress MLA Ram Kumar

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 27 (ANI): Political tempers flared in Himachal Pradesh over alleged political interference and extortion from industrialists in the state's key manufacturing hubs.
Congress MLA from Doon, Ram Kumar, and BJP legislator and former Industries Minister Bikram Singh Thakur exchanged sharp accusations, escalating the war of words into a potential legal battle.
Speaking to the media and later to ANI, Ram Kumar stated that he would serve a defamation notice worth Rs 2 crore on Bikram Singh Thakur for making what he termed "factually baseless and damaging allegations" against him.
"Bikram Singh Thakur, during his tenure as Industries Minister, indulged in extortion from industrialists. Not only he, but even his son exerted pressure on them," Ram Kumar alleged, calling for a government probe into the matter.

The Congress MLA asserted that his family belongs to a business background and has played a significant role in developing the Baddi industrial area. "All our business activities are legal, and such unfounded allegations are only meant to tarnish our reputation," he added.
Bikram Singh Thakur, however, rejected the accusations outright. He claimed he had neither committed any irregularities during his ministerial tenure nor directly named any individual in his statements. "Ram Kumar himself is bringing up these issues; in doing so, he ends up proving the allegations himself," Thakur remarked.
The BJP MLA threw an open challenge to the ruling Congress government. "The Congress has been in power in Himachal Pradesh for the past three years. If there was corruption during the previous BJP government, why has no inquiry been initiated? Merely making baseless allegations serves no purpose," Thakur said.
The exchange marks yet another flashpoint in the ongoing political battle over industrial policy and governance in Himachal Pradesh's economic hubs like Baddi, where allegations of political interference and illegal collections have been a recurring flashpoint. (ANI)