As Dhingra panel hints at irregularities in Vadra deals, Congress accuses BJP of witch-hunt

Robert Vadra, Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law, is not a member of the party. Each time questions are raised by its political opponents about Vadra’s controversial land deals in Gurugram, the Congress has consistently maintained that he is a private citizen who is entitled to run a business.

And yet the entire party machinery – senior Congress leaders and party spokespersons – is activated to defend Vadra when his firm’s dealings are under the scanner. This has been the pattern over the past three years ever since the controversy over his business dealings first surfaced. Even Sonia Gandhi has spoken out in his favour.

Dhingra report submitted

On Wednesday, the Justice SN Dhingra Commission submitted its report. The one-man commission was set up by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Haryana government last year to look into the licences granted by the previous Congress government regime to real estate firms for the development of four villages in Gurugram, including to a company owned by Vadra.

This comes just when all political parties are warming up for a crucial electoral battle in Uttar Pradesh next year. The Congress has launched a high-pitched campaign in the state amid speculation that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may address public meetings and rallies outside her mother and brother’s Lok Sabha constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi that she usually restricts herself to.

The report is bound to cast a shadow over the Congress campaign in case she does play a larger role in the Uttar Pradesh election. In fact, the Bharatiya Janata Party is itching to use the panel’s findings to discredit Priyanka Gandhi as it is believed that she can turn around the election in favour of the Congress.

Defending Vadra

So, it was not totally unexpected when the Congress put its best foot forward to defend Vadra hours after Justice Dhingra submitted its report.

The report’s findings have not been made public but Justice Dhingra hinted that Vadra and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda could be in for trouble. Speaking to reporters after giving in the report, Justice Dhingra said that he has "brought to light the manner in which irregularities were committed and the people behind it".

“I have named each and every person involved, whether private or government." Justice Dhingra said. "Had there been no irregularity, I would have submitted a one-line report. My report has 182 pages. I have logged irregularities in grant of license and the persons who benefited from it."

The Congress was constrained from commenting on the contents of the report since these have not been placed in the public domain yet. Going by the dictum that attack is the best form of defence, the Congress held a special briefing on Wednesday evening to charge that the manner in which selected portions of the report have been leaked to the media proved that the sole intent of the Haryana government and the top BJP leadership is to “defame, conspire and malign, rather than adjudge the issues fairly.”

Accusing the BJP of indulging in a political witch hunt, Congress communications department chief Randeep Singh Surjewala, maintained that the prejudice was obvious in the very constitution of the Dhingra Commission. He said that the panel was asked to enquire into only 16 cases of commercial land licences totalling a mere 63.40 acres in Sector 83, Gurugram, only because it included a licence related to 2.7 acres owned by Vadra’s firm.

Citing rules

Maintaining that there was “not even a whisper of any preferential treatment” or violation of any rules in the grant of licences, Surjewala faulted the functioning of the commission on many counts.

He said that the Commission of Enquiry Act, 1952, specifically said that persons prejudicially affected by a commission of inquiry’s findings have to be summoned in person and presented with the evidence so that he or she gets an opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses and present his or her point of view.

In this case, Surjewala said, the commission had not called in Vadra, proving that the enquiry was politically motivated.

The commission was earlier asked to submit its report on June 30 but was granted an eight-week extension at the last-minute on the plea that it needed time to examine fresh evidence. However, this extension was linked to the passage of the Goods and Services Tax Bill in Parliament. The Bill was stalled in the Rajya Sabha after the Congress raised objections to it. The Bill was eventually passed unanimously after the Congress agreed to support it.