The war of words, allegations and counter-allegations raged for the second consecutive day on Friday between the BJP and Congress over Justice Dhingra Commission, which was set up to inquire into grant of development licences to companies including Sky light Hospitality owned by Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra.
Intensifying its attack on the ruling BJP in Haryana, Congress on Friday alleged that the one-man Commission of Inquiry has become a political tool for malicious witch-hunt by Haryana Government while the BJP has hit back saying that the opposition is restless due to the outcomes of the inquiry.
Slamming the opposition, Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar while talking to the mediapersons on Friday said that the Congress reaction even before the Dhingra Commission has submitted its report on the land deals during the earlier Congress rule makes one “suspect that something is not right”.
Defending his government’s decision to constitute the commission, the Chief Minister said, “The commission was constituted one year ago as complaints were received regarding the grant of licences. At that time, the Congress had no issues. Even earlier also, the panel’s tenure was extended and the approval notified after 10 days. Even then, no one raised any issue.”
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala has however alleged that Justice Dhingra, who has virtually taken benefit from the BJP Government and took plot for his own purpose from an individual, is not capable and apt to carry out the investigation in this case and should be removed.
Surjewala while addressing a press conference here said that the commission is “unconstitutional” as it was constituted without taking approval of Council of Ministers or legislature of state of Haryana.
Even selection of Justice Dhingra was completely arbitrary as no other judge was considered and the Chief Minister autocratically hand-picked his name for selection, he alleged.
The Congress leader also claimed that this is an attempt to politically exploit and assassinate Robert Vadra’s character.
Shockingly, Dhingra Commission at the very onset, found that since no licence was ever applied in the area of Sector-83, Gurgaon, nothing could be probed. Consequently, Justice Dhingra himself proposed and decided his own terms of reference.
This must be the first case in Independent India’s history where a Commission has decided its own terms and government has merely accepted the same as proposed without any application of mind, Surjewala further alleged.
He added that the BJP Government has actually made the entire ClU process a ‘tradable commodity’ opening the flood gates for trading of FSI (Floor Space Index) as if it was a commodity.
Hitting back at Surjewala, Cabinet Minister Anil Vij on Friday tweeted, “The person who does not know how to vote in Rajya Sabha is making false claims that the Commission was set up without the approval of Cabinet.”
“Congress should stop telling lies now”, Vij said in another tweet.
The Congress leaders has been questioning the commission’s legal validity, saying it was set up in violation of law. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had also earlier said the inquiry panel was set up “contrary to established rules and norms, without due cabinet approval and prompted by malice and political considerations”.
He had urged Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki “to revoke the constitution of the Commission of Enquiry”.
Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar also alleged that the BJP Government had set up the Commission with malicious intent.
Meanwhile, a BJP parliamentarian Kirit Somaiya wrote to Justice (retd) SN Dhinga on Friday and provided more documents to investigate the alleged involvement of Robert Vadra’s company Skylight Hospitality. Somaiya has accused Vadra of making Rs58 crore against a capital investment of Rsone lakh.