Dharamsala MLA alleges threat to life

Dharamsala, February 25

Local Congress MLA Sudhir Sharma yesterday created a political controversy by alleging that he was facing a threat to his life. He said that he had learnt that a political rival in the state had given Rs 4 crore as blood money to eliminate him. “I have informed Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the DGP regarding the threat to my life. The Chief Minister has assured me of getting the matter investigated and enhancing my security,” he added.

He said that on the Chief Minister’s advice, he did not file a police complaint in the matter. He alleged, “I did not receive any direct threat call on my phone as I do not attend to calls from unknown numbers. However, people, who stay with me, have received threatening phone calls.” Sharma added that it was unfortunate that politics had dropped to such a level in the state.

Sharma had openly flayed the state government for not giving Rs 30 crore to the Forest Department for the transfer of 55 hectares of forestland at Jadrangal in the Dharamsala Assembly constituency for the construction of a campus of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh.

Sharma has been having an uneasy relationship with the Congress government. There was speculation that he could be one of the contenders for the party ticket from the Kangra parliamentary seat but he denied that he wanted to contest the election when the party did not find him suitable to be a Cabinet minister.