R'than govt violated laws in Vadra land deals: BJP

The BJP has alleged violation of Land Ceiling Act in the large scale purchase of land by Robert Vadra, son in law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Bikaner district in Rajasthan.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, the BJP leader Kirit Somaya alleged that Vadra went about a land purchasing spree in Rajasthan in connivance with the Congress government.

He said, according to the Land Ceiling Act, agricultural land could be purchased only for specific industry after obtaining permission from the government. But in the case of Robert Vadra, the law has been thrown to the wind.

Vadra has purchased over 10,000 bigha of land and about 2,000 bigha deal was executed in a June 2012, he said adding that Gehlot government has acted as a facilitator in this land purchase.

He said, all these land deals were executed prior to the declaration of the Bikaner-Jaisalmer solar park zone by the government shows that Vadra had prior inform-ation.This exposes connivance of the state government.

Somaya said, now the companies which want to set up solar units there has to purchase land from about 12 real estate companies and agents that Vadra used .

Windfall gains

He said, Vadra made wind fall gains out of the land deals. He purchased land from the farmers at a cheap rate ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 35,000 per bigha but sold some of the land within two years at Rs 3,50,000.

Somaya demanded an explanation from the Gehlot government for its dubious role in the land deals. “We seek an explanation from the state government in allowing such large scale purchase of agriculture land for not any specific industry but to earn wind fall gains.”