Bikaner land deal case: Cong terms allegations against Robert Vadra as false

New Delhi, Dec 27 The Congress has defended Robert Vadra in the Bikaner land deal case, claiming that the allegations against him are false, adding that the BJP is frustrated due to the unprecedented response and support for the party's ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra.

"They are running helter-skelter to put all kinds of spanner and obstacles in the path of the Bharat Jodo Yatra – from a malicious disinformation campaign about the Yatra and Yatris, taking shelter behind Corona to surreptitiously block the Yatra, and now by levelling fake allegations against the Congress government in Rajasthan and Robert Vadra. The objective is clear – distract, mislead and misinform – from focus on the issues of inflation, unemployment, unequal distribution of wealth and politics of hate," said Congress General Secretary, Randeep Surjewala.

The party gave point-wise rebuttal to the allegations, and said that Vadra is being made a victim of fraud and that the Congress government in Rajasthan did not take an inch of land from farmers between 2008 and 2013. But during the BJP rule in Rajasthan, it allotted land in Gajner village in Bikaner district to Hariram and Natharam in February 2007, the Congress claimed.

On November 19, 2007, Natharam sold 12.65 hectares of land to one Rajender Kumar vide a registered sales deed. On the same date, Hariram sold 18.96 hectares of land to Kishore Singh. The BJP government in Rajasthan transferred the mutation of land from Natharam and Hariram to Rajender Kumar and Kishore Singh, Surjewala claimed.

It is thus clear that the land was allotted by the BJP government. Land was also sold by registered sales deeds during the tenure of the BJP government, he said.

After nearly three years (28 months), on January 4, 2010, Rajender Kumar and Kishore Singh sold the 31.61 hectares of land to Skylight Hospitality of Robert Vadra through a registered sales deed.

On August 8, 2014, the Commissioner (settlement) of Bikaner cancelled the original allotment in favour of Natharam and Hariram. The consequent sales deeds, including in favour of Skylight, thus became irrelevant, and the land was reverted back to the state of Rajasthan, which continues to be its owner, the Congress spokesman said.

On August 26, 2014, four FIRs were lodged in Bikaner. Neither Skylight Hospitality nor Robert Vadra were named as accused in the FIRs. At this time again, there was BJP government in Rajasthan, he said.

On February 5, 2015, Skylight filed civil suits for recovery on account of being defrauded and duped by the seller.

On August 4, 2015, the BJP government in Rajasthan filed charge-sheets in the aforementioned FIRs. Subsequently, a supplementary charge-sheet was also filed by the BJP government.

On September 17, 2015, the ED, acting at the diktat of the Narendra Modi goovernment, lodged an ECIR despite the fact that Skylight Hospitality was a victim as it was defrauded and that neither the FIRs nor the charge-sheets found any role or guilt of Skylight Hospitality or Robert Vadra, Surjewala claimed.

"The aforesaid facts have clearly exposed the fake narratives and news stories being peddled by the BJP in a section of the media out of sheer frustration, exasperation and bitterness," Surjewala added.