Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 28: The four-member Commission conducting the BJP’s internal probe into allegations of party members offering bribes to influence the Parliamentary polls in Leh has completed its ground-level investigation.
Party insiders said the Commission members, headed by Justice (Retd) G D Sharma, have returned from Leh and will shortly submit report to party national president Amit Shah.
Other members of the panel include former IPS officer and IG Retired S S Bijral, Dr Pallav Sharma and Advocate Tashi Gayalson.
On May 4, the Press Club, Leh, had accused the BJP of trying to bribe its members by offering “envelops filled with money”, a charge denied by the party which said the allegations were “politically motivated”.
The fact finding commission recorded statements of journalists, persons associated with Press club, Leh, local leaders and examined CCTV footages, party sources said.
“The panel members have left Leh and would soon submit the findings of the probe to the party head,” they said.
The police in Leh on May 9 registered an FIR against BJP leaders under Sections 171E (punishment for bribery) and 171F (punishment for undue influence or personation at an election) of the Ranbir Panel Code (RPC) warranting investigation, officials said.
BJP’s State unit chief Ravinder Raina had supported a probe into the matter but also questioned the claim of journalists asking why was the money not shown in the CCTV footage.
“They should have shown the notes after opening the packets. They had cameras too. The press conference was held on May 2 and they could have shown it on the same day. Only on May 4 it came out on social media as a planned conspiracy to defame the BJP,” Raina had said.
The national BJP president Amit Shah had setup the fact-finding Commission headed by Justice Sharma to probe the matter.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
