Cong distances from row over land allotment to Rajiv Shukla

New Delhi: Congress on Wednesday declined to comment on the controversy surrounding land allotment to Union Minister Rajiv Shukla at Juhu in Mumbai saying the minister was the the best person to react to it.

"Party is not seized of the details... Of who is allotted land at some place....It is not in the purview of the party. It is best that he as individual answers it...," party spokesperson Sandip Dikshit told reporters. Shukla, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, said yesterday that he had written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on December 4 that the land alloted to a society co-founded by him be taken back as no activity could be started because of encroachment. "There is no question of any commercial value as the whole idea was to build a primary school there," Shukla said. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had alleged in Mumbai yesterday that the Maharashtra government had allotted two plots to Shukla`s educational society for a pittance. He also alleged that according to officials from the state revenue department the file which had the information on the land allotment to Shukla was untraceable. Dikshit said that he has heard that Shukla returned the land. This led to a counter question that Ashok Chavan had also returned his flat in the Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai but had to resign from Chief Minstership. At this, the Congress spokesperson said that only an inquiry finds out such things but he has no personal opinion on whether an inquiry should be held in this matter.