A day Justice SN Dhingra, probing into the controversial land deals submitted its report, Haryana’s former Chief Minister (CM) Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday demanded that the Manohar lal Khattar Government should make the report public.
The one-man inquiry commission, which probed into the controversial land deals in Haryana also allegedly involving Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, had submitted its 182-page report to the State Government and apparently found irregularities in the land deals.
The report, it is reliably learnt, has indicted Hooda's previous Congress government (2005-2014) for irregularities in grant of licences. The report has also pointed out irregularities in grant of licences and allotment of land to individuals and companies, including Vadra’s companies, in prime areas of Gurgaon.
Hooda, while talking to the mediapersons accused the BJP led Haryana Government of indulging in “witch-hunt” and “sensationalising facts”. Hooda, who was the Chief Minister when the land deals were signed, demanded that the Government should make the Dhingra Commission report public soon and stop this witch-hunt.
While the report is yet to be made public, its contents were being “selectively leaked to the media”, he alleged.
When asked to comment on irregularities found in the land deals by the Dhingra Commission, Hooda said that there is no question of extending any favour. All such allegations are politically motivated. There was no overnight clearance given for anything, said he.
“I can comment on its contents only when the report is made public,” said the two-time former CM.
Asked if he would move court, the Congress leader said, “let them first make the report public, then we will see”.
lashing out at the Haryana Government, Hooda said that it is a case of political vendetta as the government probed only a handful of land licences, including the one granted to Robert Vadra’s firm.
Giving details of the licence granted to Vadra’s firm Skylight Hospitality, Hooda said the firm was alloted 2.7 acres as per entitlement. The firm purchased land on January 28, 2008 by paying Rs 7.95 crore, including stamp duty. The company also paid commercial colony charges of Rs 7.43 crore to the government. An amount of Rs 73 lakh was deposited for renewal of licence. Thus, total amount paid for purchase of land and statutory charges comes to Rs 16.11 crore.”
“After a gap of five years, this piece of land was sold by Skylight to DlF for Rs 58 crore on September 18, 2012. Even on this amount, the company paid an additional tax of Rs 8 crore and thus they paid a total amount of Rs 24.11 crore which includes the Rs 16.11 crore against the receipt of sale price of Rs 58 crore,” Hooda said. Giving details of land licences issued, the former CM said that right from 1981 till the current year, successive governments in Haryana have issued licences for 33,697.57 acres of land, including 11,000 acres in Gurgaon alone.
Hooda said the Khattar government has also issued numerous land licences in 2015 and 2016 under the same policy which was followed by the Congress dispensation. They gave 14 licences, six of which were given in Gurgaon last year and 8 more were given in 2016, out of which five were for Gurgaon, he said.
Meanwhile, IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who had cancelled the mutation of the land owned by Vadra, tweeted on Thursday, “Deals like DlF-SKYlIGHT are quid quo pro of something else, not the other way. The something else must be unravelled...”
The Haryana-cadre IAS officer Khemka, shot to fame after the previous Congress led State Government chargesheeted and hounded him for exposing Robert Vadra-DlF land deal in the State.
The Dhingra Commission has named both government officials and private individuals in the report. “I have named each and every person who is responsible whether private or government. Any person who was involved in irregularity has been mentioned in my report and role has also been mentioned,” said Justice Dhingra had said.
The 182 pages report is in two parts. One part includes findings and other includes evidence of irregularities.