New Delhi: In twin jolts to Congress, the Rajasthan High Court has directed an associate of Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra to appear before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in a land case in Bikaner while the Haryana government has transferred another land case in Panchkula to the CBI for further investigations.
The Congress, which has been on the offensive against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the demonetisation issue, has accused the BJP of diversionary tactics.
Rajasthan High Court on Friday directed an official of Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, a company linked to Vadra, to appear before the ED in a money laundering case related to land deals in Bikaner. The court rejected a plea filed by Skylight official Mahesh Nagar, who has been asked by ED to record his statement and make himself available for interrogation between January 4 and 6.
"Whenever the BJP has been attacked, they try to divert the attention of people by saying such things. Why hasn't the investigation managed to find anything on the case so far?," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
BJP leader Subramniam Swamy however showered praise on the move and accused Vadra of being involved in business of Benami property.
"There is no escape for Vadra now. He does every business by benami property. This is a good step by the CM and I am happy for this," Swamy said.
Justice P K Lohra has asked Nagar to honour the summons, but also directed the ED to interrogate him in the presence of his counsel.
National Herald Row
In the second instance, the Haryana government on Friday said it has handed over to the CBI the probe into the reallotment of a plot to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) in Panchkula in 2005.
"This case (AJL) has been given to CBI for probe a few days back and soon the CBI will start investigation," Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar told reporters on Friday.
Haryana State Vigilance Bureau had registered a case of cheating and corruption against Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and four HUDA officials for allegedly realloting the plot to AJL in 2005 instead of going for an open auction.
Reacting to the news, Hooda termed it as a modus operandi, witch hunt and political vendetta.
"We have done nothing wrong during our tenure," Hood said.
The plot had been initially allotted to AJL, the owner of National Herald newspaper, in 1982.After the expiry of the lease period in 1996, the then Haryana Vikas Party goverment led by Bansi Lal resumed its possession. It was reallotted to AJL after the Congress came to power in 2005.
The vigilance bureau had alleged that the act by the then HUDA chairman and officials had caused a huge financial loss to the public sector undertaking as the plot should have been sold in an open auction.
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