Vadra land deal: Congress, Hooda reject Dhingra panel report as 'witchhunt', say no rules were flouted

Congress and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda have termed the Justice SN Dhingra panel report on Robert Vadra land deal as nothing but witchhunt.

New Delhi: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday termed the Justice SN Dhingra panel report as nothing but witchhunt shortly after it indicated that irregularities were committed in allotting land to firms owbned by Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra in Haryana.

Havent seen report, but if it has been leaked then it proves its nothing but witchunt, BS Hooda was quoted as saying by ANI.

On allegations that rules were flouted in allotting land to Vadra's firms, Hooda said, ''No undue favours were given to anyone, we followed proper policies.''

Meanwhile, Congress party too reacted sharply to the findings of the Justice SN Dhingra Commission.

BJP government at the Centre and Haryana have run a political agenda of vendetta and revenge for years purely to slander and vilify, the Congress party said.

Constitution of Dhingra Commission was a mere cog in that wheel of malicious witchhunt propogated by BJP, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

Addressing a press briefing, Justice SN Dhingra today said, ''I have brought the irregularities to light and people behind it."

However, Dhingra did not name Robert Vadra or then Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

"If there were no irregularities in land allotment, I would have submitted a one-sentence, not an 182-page report," Dhingra told reporters after submitting his report to the Haryana government.

Justice Dhingra told reporters that "I can't make the contents of my report public but it is in two parts." "One part of the report deals with findings while the second part consists of evidences," he added.

"I have named government officials as well as private indiividuals in my report," he said.

When asked why he did not call IAS officer Ashok Khemka for deposition, Justice Dhingra said that it was not necessary. He futher clarified that his mandate was to inquire about irregularities in grant of licences.

Justice Dhingra said that now it is up to the government to act on his report.

The one-man Justice SN Dhingra commission, set up by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in May last year, was asked to probe controversial land deals in Haryana, including the land deals of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra.

The commission was asked to probe the grant of licenses to Vadra's company and other firms for developing commercial properties in Gurgaon's Sector 83 and some other prime areas.

It was mandated to probe their subsequent transfer or disposal, allegations of private enrichment, ineligibility of beneficiaries under the rules, and other connected matters.

Dhingra is a retired judge of the Delhi high court.