A day after being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the Manesar land deal case, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday alleged that the BJP-led Centre and State Government has unleashed “political vendetta” against its opponents.
The BJP-led Haryana Government is indulging in “political vendetta” to divert people’s attention from its own failures, said Hooda, while talking to mediapersons here.
The CBI had on Monday questioned Hooda for nearly nine hours in connection with the Manesar land deal case in which land-owning farmers were allegedly caused a loss of about Rs 1,500 crore.
The senior Congress leader, who headed Haryana Government for ten years till 2014, said he was a victim of “political vendetta” and had done nothing wrong during his tenure. The CBI had registered the case in September 2015 on allegations that private builders in collusion with unidentified officials of the Haryana Government had purchased around 400 acres from farmers and land owners of village in Manesar, Naurangpur and Gurgaon at throwaway prices.
The land was purchased allegedly on the threat of acquisition by the Government, between August 27, 2004 and August 24, 2007.
The CBI in its FIR claimed that in the said manner, about 400 acres land whose market value at that time was above Rs 4 crore per acre, totalling around Rs 1,600 crore, was allegedly purchased by private builders and others from land owners for only about Rs 100 crore.
“Truth will come out. As regards the allegation that private builders in conspiracy with unidentified officials of the Haryana Government had purchased the land, let them make the names of the officials public,” said Hooda.
When asked about ongoing inquiry into alleged re-allotment of a plot to Associated Journals limited (AJl) in Panchkula in 2005 and various land deals in Haryana during his tenure, the former Chief Minister said, “This is vendetta and witch hunt. Nothing wrong has been done during my tenure and in every case, rules were followed.”
lashing out at the BJP Government, Hooda said the BJP’s agenda was to level accusations, defame, work with vendetta, slap false cases and start mudslinging campaign to muzzle opponents’ voices.
Claiming that the present BJP Government in Haryana released 3,600 acres of land in Bawal that too after award for the land was announced, he said, “But they are silent on this.”
Continuing his tirade against the Government, he said, “The only credit which can be given to the State Government is frequently transferring its officials, indulging in vendetta politics against opponents and changing names of existing schemes and cities.” He added that people voted for the BJP with high hopes but the Government has failed on all fronts.
Referring to the gang-rape cases in Gurugram and Rohtak, Hooda said the law-and-order situation in Haryana had worsened in the last two years. “People of the State, especially women, are feeling insecure.”
“In this scenario, who will want to come here and investIJ, said the Congress leader while taking a dig at Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar’s upcoming visit to Singapore and Hong Kong to attract investments.