The Manohar lal Khattar Government in Haryana has recommended CBI probe into the irregularities committed during the previous Congress regime in cases of land acquisition in Rohtak and Sonipat districts.
Announcing this in the State Assembly on Tuesday, Chief Minister Manohar lal said that the injustice done to the farmers by the previous Congress regime will be exposed by the CBI investigation. During the zero hour, the Chief Minister, while replying to the opposition on the issue of inquiry into corruption cases, said that the Court has directed us to inquire into land acquisition in Rohtak and for the same, a CBI inquiry will be recommended.
Earlier, the BJP MlAs had demanded discussion on the controversial Manesar land deal, a day after the Supreme Court set aside previous Bhupinder Singh Hooda led Congress Government’s decision to drop acquisition of 688 acres of land.
Waving copies of newspapers that had carried the story and raising slogans like ‘Arrest Hooda’ ‘Shame, Shame’, the BJP MlAs demanded a discussion in the house over the land scam. Finance Minister Capt. Abhimanyu also urged the Speaker Kanwar Pal Gujjar to allow discussion on the issue and slammed former Chief Minister Hooda for allegedly looting the farmers and forcefully acquiring their land during his tenure.
The Supreme Court had on Monday cancelled Hooda Government’s decision to drop acquisition of 688 acres of land in Manesar. The Court had slammed the Hooda government, saying such decisions were nothing but “fraud” on power. The Apex Court had also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate transactions, including unearthing unnatural gains received by ‘middlemen’ related to the case.
Coming down heavily on the Congress after the SC decision, the Chief Minister Manohar lal said these leaders had no right to talk about the plight of farmers. They themselves had acquired the lands of farmers just to benefit some builders, said he. Taking a dig at the Congress, he went onto say, “Inka Aisa Koi Saga Nahi, Jinko Congress ne Thaga Nahi.”
Continuing his tirade against his Congress’ predecessor Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the Chief Minister also read out the excerpts from the SC decision and said that all this was done to benefit private builders.
“The Supreme Court has, in its verdict, set aside the land acquisition process executed by the previous Congress Government in Manesar. It had threatened innocent farmers and extended huge benefits to real estate developers and builders in the name of land acquisition during their rule,” he said.“The court has termed such activities as mala fide exercise of powers and a clear case of misuse of power. Apart from this, the Apex Court has also ordered to investigate the role of middle men in land acquisition. Now everything would be revealed during the investigation, Manohar lal added. Taking strong exception to CM’s statement, Congress MlA Karan Singh Dalal said, “How can we discuss a matter related to Supreme Court in the HouseIJ” The Speaker, while replying said that the matter is not sub-judice and SC has already given its decision. Hence, it can be discussed in the House, he said.
leader of opposition and INlD’s senior leader Abhay Chautala, then intervened and said that the party had submitted a 400-page chargesheet to the Chief Minister highlighting all scams during Congress regime but nothing has been done by the BJP in the past over three years.
Even the report of Justice SN Dhingra Commission, which had probed controversial land deals in Gurgaon, including those of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, has not been tabled in the State Assembly, said Chautala.
Responding to him, the Chief Minister said that the SC has also set a deadline of two months for the Punjab and Haryana High Court to decide the petition challenging Dhingra Commission’s constitutional validity. The Government could not table the report as Congress leaders had approached the High Court, which had put a stay on it, said he.
The Chief Minister further said the State Government had already handed over to the CBI investigations into three cases of re-allotment of a plot to Associated Journals limited (AJl) in Panchkula, Industrial plot allotment by Haryana Sahri Vikas Pradhikaran in Panchkula, and the Manesar land case. On the charge-sheet handed over by the INlD over the irregularities committed during the Congress regime, the Chief Minister said it contained 290 pages and action will be taken on every issue.
“We do not take action against anyone in the spirit of revenge or out of political malice. All acts and decisions are taken only after investigation,” he said. The Chief Minister added that it was opposition’s demand to get an investigation done into the chargesheet but it is government’s right to decide on the issue. We have already given few cases to CBI and now, will decide on others accordingly, he said.