Haryana’s clean chit to Vadra a cover-up: Kejriwal

New Delhi:  India Against Corruption (IAC) leader Arvind Kejriwal Friday termed as a cover-up the clean chit given by Haryana government to Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in land purchase deals in the state.

“Newspapers say Haryana officers have given clean chit to Vadra. It was expected… there are some people in this county against whom no investigation can be made,” alleged Kejriwal.

“Does any government agency in the country have the guts to investigate him?” asked Kejriwal, adding: “One officer, Ashok Khemka, tried to dare but he was transferred. I know all the investigations would be done for giving clean chit to Vadra.”

Clearing Vadra of any wrong-doing, four Haryana bureaucrats said there were no irregularities in the land purchases done by Vadra and his companies.

Official sources in Chandigarh confirmed that the deputy commissioners (DCs) of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Mewat and Palwal have said that there was no “wrong-doing” in the land purchases done by Vadra and his companies in their respective districts.

Senior Haryana cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Ashok Khemka had asked the DCs of the four districts Oct 12 to inquire into Vadra’s land deals in their areas since 2005.

They were also asked to see if the purchase of the land had been undervalued to evade stamp duty. Khemka, who was director-general, consolidation, then had sought the report by Oct 25.

However, Khemka was removed from the post by the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government. Though the government tried to project it as a routine transfer, government sources said it was apparent that Khemka was shifted as he opened the probe against Vadra’s land deals on Oct 8.

The sources said that Vadra had made the land purchases in a “transparent” manner and had paid the stamp duty as per the prevailing collector rate in each district.

Vadra and his companies had made land purchases in Gurgaon, Palwal, Mewat and Faridabad districts from 2005. The total land bought by Vadra in these districts was over 170 acres.

Source: IANS