Rajasthan govt recommends CBI probe into Robert Vadra-linked land deals in Bikaner

Jaipur: The Rajasthan government has written to the CBI for a probe into alleged land scams in Bikaner, including those involving a company of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra. [caption id=“attachment_3963285” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Robert Vadra. PTI[/caption] The Congress reacted to this development by accusing the state government of misusing CBI ahead of assembly elections. “As many as 18 FIRs are registered and 4 of them are against Vadra’s company which was allegedly involved in illegal purchase of nearly 275 bigha land. All the 18 FIRs are in connection with purchase of close to 1400 bigha land in fake names”, Home Minister Gulab chand Kataria said on Tuesday. He alleged that Vadra’s company was third party to purchase 275 bigha land in the year 2010 and it sold the pieces of land to fourth party in 2012. “When the matter came to light, 18 FIRs were registered. Four FIRs are related with Vadra’s company and now the state government has written to the CBI to investigate them altogether. The issue was also raised in the state assembly in 2014”, Kataria said. Reacting to this, state Congress president Sachin Pilot said, “BJP misuses CBI, ED and other agencies for political gains. In this alleged land scam case, the state government had formed a committee but the committee’s findings were not disclosed by the government.” He said, “Those who have been arrested in the land scam are connected with BJP. If BJP people are being arrested in the land scam, then we are ready for any probe.” The state government had on 31 December, 2014 cancelled 18 mutations (transfer of ownership) in Bikaner after allegedly finding them to be illegal. The land was illegally allotted or possessed in 2006-07 by some villagers, who were allegedly “wrongfully” shown as farmers displaced by Mahajan Field Firing Range of the army. It was alleged that Vadra’s company also purchased chunks of land. The farmers who were actually displaced were allotted land between 1992 and 1996.