Rajasthan government to probe Robert Vadra deals

JAIPUR/NEW DELHI: The tit-for-tat politics of probe between the Congress and BJP is set to get hotter as the Rajasthan government announced its intent to order an enquiry into the Bikaner land deals of Robert Vadra. Just a few days after Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde hinted at a commission of enquiry into the Gujarat snoopgate, BJP’s Rajasthan government returns the favour by announcing an enquiry into the land deals of Robert Vadra.

Speaking with ET on Tuesday evening, the state energy minister Gajendra Singh Khinwsar said that the state administration will conduct an inquiry into the deals. However, a decision about the scope and timing is to be taken by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who also heads the revenue department.

“The state government will conduct an inquiry into Robert Vadra’s land purchases in Bikaner to examine irregularities, if any. My department will provide all information concerned with the land purchases, which seem to have been made to look as if they were done to build solar parks. Since this matter concerns land, the revenue department will undertake an inquiry and the energy department will provide all necessary assistance. The chief minister holds the revenue portfolio and she will take a decision about when and how the inquiry is to be conducted,” explained Khinwsar. The Chief Minister’s Office could not be reached for comment.

Under the state government policy for solar power, land for solar power parks is available at subsidised rates. It is alleged that Vadra misused this provision, and also got the norms of the land ceiling act relaxed for the deals.

BJP MP Arjun Meghwal pointed out certain aspects of the deal that are likely to get examined: “violation of the land ceiling act, procedures for adopting the acquired land—particularly exploring if there was any preferential treatment given to Vadra for being the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi—and whether the land belonged to the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, in which case acquisition is virtually impossible at a large scale.

Following a letter sent by a group of five Rajasthan MPs demanding investigations into Vadra’s land purchases, Vasundhara Raje said there will be no ‘politics of revenge’ and thus, no special inquiry panel will be set up to relook past corruptions of the Congress.

Her government is only relooking policy decisions of the Gehlot administration in the past six months, she said.