The politics over the re-allotment of prime land to Congress-linked Associated Journals limited (AJl) heated up in Haryana on Monday with Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda hurling allegations and counter-allegations at each other.
While Congress leader Hooda slammed the BJP, terming the case registered against him and others as “revenge politics” by the incumbent Khattar Government, the Chief Minister hit back saying that the former Chief Minister had himself asked for the investigation but is now becoming restless.
The Vigilance Bureau had last week registered a case of cheating, breach of trust and corruption against Hooda, who was also the HUDA chairman in his capacity as the state's Chief Minister.
Officials of HUDA and office-bearers of AJl — the promoters of 'The National Herald' newspaper — were also charged with illegal re-allotment of the plot to the AJl in 2005. The AJl is also linked to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
Defending his Government's decision to re-allot prime land in Sector 6 of Panchkula to AJl, Hooda while talking to the mediapersons said, “There is nothing wrong in the decision to re-allot land to AJl. There was no loss to the government or any agency. The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is a 'no-profit-no-loss' organization.”
He also asked the Manohar lal Khattar-led Government to stop indulging in the politics of vendetta and instead focus on fulfilling the promises made to the people.
“This BJP led Haryana Government has only two goals including work with vindictive sentiments and to keep transferring and changing the posts of Government officers,” he alleged.
The senior Congress leader also accused the Indian National lok Dal (INlD) of acting like an alliance partner of the ruling BJP rather than playing the role of the opposition party. He added, “I appeal to the government to investigate and register all cases in one go. The allotment of land to the Devi lal Trust (linked to the INlD) should also be investigated.”
leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly, Abhay Singh Chautala, had on May 3 in a letter to Haryana Chief Minister demanded registration of a criminal case against Congress-linked AJl and Hooda in the case.
“The ruling BJP is not doing anything except working to take revenge against political opponents. The attempt is to frame Congress leaders in different cases,” Hooda alleged
The former Chief Minister also called the BJP the protagonist behind the riots, which rattled Haryana during the Jat reservation agitation in February. “The BJP is responsible for the riots, which broke out in Haryana two months back. They even denied the demand of a Supreme Court-monitored probe,” said Hooda.
When asked if he knows Sudeep Kalkal, the advocate arrested for riots, Hooda responded angrily saying, “Pictures of Kalkal with Chief Minister and BJP leaders have also emerged… Nobody can enter Chief Minister’s house without an invitation.”
“Everybody in Rohtak knows me as I and my family has represented the constituency for a long time,” said he when asked about his relations with Kalkal.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar has denied the allegation levelled by Hooda that the State Government is acting with a feeling of revenge in AJl case.
Talking to the mediapersons, Khattar said that it was Hooda himself who had, during the Vidhan Sabha session, demanded that irregularities committed in any area should be investigated in a fair manner and action should be taken against the guilty.
The Chief Minister reminded that Bhupinder Singh Hooda had even said that if he himself was found guilty, action should be taken against him too.
The AJl issue has been investigated by the Vigilance Bureau, which is taking action against those who have been found guilty in the investigation, said Khattar.
The Chief Minister added that those found indulged in corrupt practices, might it be Congress, INlD or any independent or even any leader of the BJP, action would be taken against the guilty.
Hooda, who as the Chief minister was the ex-officio chairman of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), has been accused of illegally transferring land to Associated Journals ltd., which published the newspaper at Panchkula in 2005.
Documents revealed that Haryana's joint legal remembrancer Jagdeep Jain had on August 17, 2005, strongly opposed the plot's re-allotment. However, Hooda then overruled Jain's note.