Robert Vadra land deal: Ashok Khemka defends action

New Delhi: Defending his action in the controversial land deal in Gurgaon involving Sonia Gandhi`s son-in-law Robert Vadra, Haryana IAS officer Ashok Khemka has said morality demands one starts at the top and that requires guts and courage.

"If you have to take action, the morality should start from the top, right at the top. It is very easy to take action with the people who are downtrodden, but it takes courage and guts to call a bluff a bluff when it happens at the top," he told a news channel. He was asked whether he did it because he knew that he was targeting the Congress President`s son-in-law and that would make his career. Khemka, who had cancelled the land deal mutation between Vadra and real estate giant DLF Universal Ltd last October, however, admitted that a criminal investigation was required to establish the truth. He said that the charge he made that the purchase of 3.5 acres of land by Skylight Hospitality in Shikorpur village in Gurgaon in February 2008 was a "sham sale", was based on an "inference" which needs to be further proven by "criminal investigation." Asked whether he has acted in haste or out of vendeta, Khemka responded, saying, "Please hold another inquiry and if I am wrong you can pillory me but you cannot pillory me because in favour of an accused and in favour of a person who has acted dutifully." PTI