New Delhi: Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni on Saturday said the graft charges had been levelled against senior Congress leader Virbhadra Singh to "tarnish" his image ahead of Assembly Elections in Himachal Pradesh.
"This issue coming up at this particular time raises many question marks. Because I have read that the papers somebody has accessed or which has been distributed bears the date of 2010. We are entering in 2012, what were they doing in these two years?" Soni told journalists here.
"To take it up at this time and to create a media movement on this issue that makes many of us feel that it has political overtones," she said.
Soni said Himachal Pradesh is going to elections on November 04 and the people of the state were tired of the last five years of governance.
"They are looking up to Congress party and Virbhadra Singh is one of the leaders of Congress party, a former chief minister. So, they are trying to tarnish the image of our whole team," Soni said.
"But I am afraid people see through all these machinations and they do realise that a paper which nobody spoke of for two years suddenly seems to have gained importance for the opposition. And I think this is not going to serve their purpose of giving them more brownie points in the elections," she added.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, October 13, 2012, 22:37