Vadra-DLF land deals: BJP demands SIT probe, calls it 'serious case of fraud'

NEW DELHI: Upping the ante on Robert Vadra's controversial land deals in Haryana, BJP on Tuesday termed it as a "serious case of fraud with a nationalised bank". There was a huge furore in the Rajya Sabha following which, RS Chairman Hamid Ansari made strong objections to the situation and said, "if the Honourable members wish the House to become a federation of anarchists, then it is a different matter"

With BJP members shouting slogans seeking probe and reply from the government on the Vadra issue, members on the treasury benches too were on their feet but nothing could be heard in the din.

BJP demanded setting up of a Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine Vadra's land deals across Congress-ruled states like Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.

"Our demand is that the SIT, which should be a multi-disciplinary authority to examine the alleged violation of the banking law, company law and income-tax law through these land deals, be set up and the probe monitored by the Supreme Court," BJP leader Yashwant Sinha told reporters outside the Parliament.

After a meeting of BJP's Parliamentary Party, Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ravishankar Prasad rejected Congress contention that the matter was state related.

"It is not a state subject. This is an issue of a serious bank fraud. It is a case of enrichment through the use of authority by collusion, of a fraudulent bank document and banking documents' manipulation becomes clearly a national subject apart from the larger issue of corruption."

"How the documents of a nationalised bank were used for land transfer. How the entire government machinery was misused to benefit a person related to an important personality. We will like to raise it and will demand that we are allowed to raise the issue in both Houses and that Government must promise a fair probe," Prasad told reporters.

The BJP leader also said that his party plans to raise the issue of Kishtwar communal riots in Jammu and Kashmir once again in Parliament and has given a notice for it in the Rajya Sabha.