BJP-Cong continue war of words on Vadra-DLF land deal

BJP says Raj govt lodged 4 FIRs in Vadra related land deals

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today looked to mount a more aggressive attack on Congress by alleging the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in Haryana did not furnish full facts to the Election Commission (EC) in the Robert Vadra and reality major DLF's land deal. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said BJP government in Rajasthan has lodged four FIRs in allegedly questionable land deals related to Vadra in that state and suspended four revenue officers.

The Congress party, meanwhile, demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his allegation that the Haryana government violated the poll panel's Model Code of Conduct in legitimizing the Vadra-DLF land deal. The EC said in its order on Wednesday evening that the model code didn't appear to have been violated in clearing the land deal.

"BJP has egg on its face after the EC's order. Narendra Modi, being the Prime Minister of the country, gave a very irresponsible statement and made allegations against Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Will the Prime Minister now seek apology from the Chief Minister and people of Haryana for making wrong statements," Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said.

The controversy relates to Haryana government validating the mutation of the land sold by a company owned by Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, to DLF. Prime Minister Modi had on Monday asked EC to take a serious note of Hooda government clearing the land deal between Vadra and DLF, alleging it was done hastily as ruling Congress faced "certain defeat" in the assembly polls.

Today, the BJP claimed the Haryana government was hiding full facts in their haste to grant all approvals to Vadra. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it was surprising that the Rs 7.5 crore plot of land turned into a Rs 58 crore deal within a few months, alleging that Vadra's company Skylite Hospitality had not only sold the land but also the licence for developing a colony granted to it by Haryana government.

Prasad buttressed his allegations by citing letters of Haryana Financial Commissioner to EC and that of Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner on July 16, and charged Haryana government of "speaking in two voices" on ownership of Vadra's land. "The BJP would like to know that when the Financial Commissioner of Haryana furnished a report to the EC, why they were conspicuously silent about the order No 1684-86 of July 16 by the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon," he said. BJP had petitioned the EC alleging that there was violation of the mode code by Haryana government in clearing the land deal between Vadra and DLF.

Prasad also claimed that the BJP government in Rajasthan was investigating Vadra's ostensibly questionable land deals in that state. He said three FIRs have been registered on August 26 in Rajasthan after probes by Tehsildar, Land Records in Bikaner and four revenue officers have been suspended.