Congress dares BJP govt to file FIR against Haryana CM

The BJP Government in Haryana has granted a large number of licenses for change of land use during the last four years under the same policy which allowed the previous Congress Government in the state to issue licenses, claimed Indian National Congress on Sunday.

Since a fresh FIR filed against BS Hooda and Robert Vadra has claimed that grant of such a license to Vadra was unlawful and irregular, by the same logic a FIR is warranted against the present chief minister ML Khattar, said the party’s official spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday.

Describing the decision to register the FIR as ‘ panic reaction’ by a party which knows its days in Haryana and at the Centre are numbered, Surjewala pointed out that the license granted to Robert Vadra and Skylight Hospitality by the Hooda Government has not been cancelled by the BJP Government in the state.

Refuting allegation of corruption against Vadra as “false and fabricated”, Congress said Vadra has not violated any rule in land purchase.

Surjewala said that Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd Had purchased in January, 2008 a 3.5 acre plot in Sikohpur, Gurgaon, notified as commercial zone. He had paid ₹7.95 Crore for the plot as per the collector rate. A commercial license was issued to him for 2.7 acres after eleven months and license charges of ₹7.43 Crore and renewal charges of ₹73 lakh were paid to the Government.

“Clear facts available in public domain are that Skylight Hospitality Private Limited of Robert Vadra purchased a small piece of land measuring 3.5 acres on 28.01.2008 in the notified commercial zone of Village Sikohpur, Gurgaon, Haryana through a registered sale-deed for 7.95 crore including stamp duties as per the prevailing collector rate. In accordance with the prevailing government policy for grant of licence, a commercial licence for 2.5 acres was granted on 15.12.2008. Commercial colony licence charges of ₹7.43 acore and renewal charges of ₹73 lakh were also paid. Thus, total amount paid for purchase of land and statutory charges comes to ₹16.11 crore,” said Congress in a statement issued Sunday evening.

When five years later the land was sold to DLF for ₹58 Crore, Robert Vadra’s company paid an additional tax of ₹ eight Crore, said Surjewala in a statement, pointing out that in all the company had thus paid up ₹24.11 Crore.

The BJP and the BJP-Lok Dal Governments in Haryana have issued licenses for 33,697 acres of land, out of which over 11,000 acres are in Gurgaon alone.

The Dhingra Commission set up by the Khattar Government to look into the transaction submitted its report in August, 2016. The report has been challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where the matter is fixed for final arguments.

Questioning the timing of the fresh FIR, Surjewala said that since the Governments of the failed chief minister and the failed PM know that the majesty of law would prevail, the FIR is designed to mislead people and the court by obfuscating the facts.