In a strategic move in the National Herald case, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed application on Saturday for summoning former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda and three bureaucrats named by CBI and ED in the Panchkula land allotment scam. Swamy’s petition was vehemently objected by the Congress leaders alleging it was being done purposefully for widening the case.
Arguing before Metropolitan Magistrate lovleen, Swamy said his case against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi also details
the land scam in Panchkula and the Government agencies have now registered FIR on the matter.
He said Hooda and accused Motilal Vora, the Congress treasurer, were recently questioned by the CBI and the role of former Haryana CM has to be ascertained in his case also. Apart from Hooda, Swamy also demanded bureaucrats SS Dhillon, Vineet Garg and Shakuntala Jakhu to be summoned as witness.
The lawyers representing the Congress leaders led by RS Cheema objected Swamy’s application. They said every time Swamy is coming with “new issues” and Panchkula scam has nothing to do with the main National Herald case. Swamy’s idea is to widen the case and try to create more problems to the opponents, said Cheema.
Countering the Congress lawyers, Swamy said that his petition is about the grabbing of lands allotted to National Herald newspaper in Delhi, Panchkula, Mumbai, Indore, lucknow and Bhopal by main accused Sonia and Rahul. “Now the State agencies also found the irregularities and these persons are also part of the land grabbing,” he said. The case was adjourned to May 15 for further arguments.