india against corruption .........................

DLF gave Vadra 500 crore property cheap: Kejriwal

Cong Rubbishes Charge,Says Its Politically Driven

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New Delhi: India Against Corruption (IAC) activists Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal on Friday alleged that realty giant DLF gave properties,currently valued at around Rs 500 crore,to Sonia Gandhis son-inlaw Robert Vadra at grossly undervalued rates in exchange for favours it allegedly received from Congress state governments in Haryana,Rajasthan and Delhi.
The allegations attracted a sharp response from Congress leaders who accused the activists of blackmail and claimed they were violating the basic principles of decency.The leaders sought to downplay these allegations,saying they were based on papers that have been in the public domain.They spoke of teaching a lesson to irresponsible activists.
Bhushan and Kejriwal,who launched a political party on Monday,told a crowded press conference here that five companies promoted by Robert Vadra and his mother,Maureen Vadra,with a combined share capital of Rs 50 lakh,and with no obvious revenue stream,acquired at least 31 properties in the three states between 2007 and 2010 after getting an unsecured,interest-free loan of Rs 65 crore from DLF.Priyanka Gandhi was also initially a director in the companies,but quit soon,they said.
They claimed the Vadras acquired all the propertiesthe 114-room Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in South Delhi,a penthouse in DLF Aralias and 7 flats in DLF Magnolia in Gurgaon,an apartment in Capital Greens,a plot in Greater Kailash-II and 20 plots of land spread over Haryana and Rajasthan.

THE ALLEGATIONS


5 companies owned by Robert Vadra and his mother Maureen bought 31 properties in 2007-10
These include 50% share in Hilton Hotel in Saket,Delhi for 31.7cr (current price said to be 150cr or more),10,000 sq ft flat in DLF Aralias,Gurgaon,for 89 lakh (current price said to be 25cr),7 flats in DLF Magnolia,Gurgaon,for 5.2cr (currently valued at over 100cr)
Balance sheets show these 5 firms had a total share capital of 50 lakh.Value of these properties on books was 69.64cr.Firms had no obvious revenue stream.Seed money for acquisitions came from unsecured,interest-free loan of over 65cr from DLF
Kejriwal and Bhushan claim that the worth of the properties when bought was 300cr;now over 500cr

THE DEFENCE

This is blackmailWe will explore all options to teach these people a lesson.Everything was in the public domain.Dont allow these people to destroy the fabric of decency

Salman Khurshid

A private citizen is only being targeted because of his relationship to Sonia Gandhi.This is below the belt

Jayanthi Natarajan

These transactions were done in conformity with the highest standards of ethics

DLF

No easy loans,cheap deals for Vadra: DLF

Says Properties Sold At Market Rates,Denies It Got Favours

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: A day after anti-corruption activists Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan alleged that real estate developer DLF had given properties worth crores to Sonia Gandhis son-in-law Robert Vadra for a song,DLF on Saturday refuted the charge,saying neither were unsecured loans given to Vadra nor was he given premier properties at heavily discounted rates.
DLF said it had business dealings with Vadras firms but denied that this relationship had led to undue gains for the company or that there was any quid pro quo with the Congress-run government of Haryana for land allotment.The response from the realtor,in the form of question and answers,came as several ministers,including finance minister P Chidambaram and law minister Salman Khurshid,rubbished the charges.
In a statement,DLF said it had given business advances of Rs 65 crore in two tranches to Vadra-owned company,Skylight Hospitality,which,it claimed,was standard industry practice.It denied that this was an unsecured interest-free loan.The first payment of Rs 50 crore was made in 2008-09 for a 3.5-acre plot in Gurgaons Sikohpur village as part of a total consideration of Rs 58 crore for the plot.Another Rs 15 crore was paid to Skylight group for a plot in Faridabad,but the amount was refunded as the deal fell through.

Can handle all negativity,says Robert as Cong bats for him


Reacting to allegations of corruption,Robert Vadra on Saturday reassured his wellwishers on Facebook: Thanks for the concern,I can handle all the negativity.I have lost people I lovedwhat can be worse than that. The reply was the first from Gandhi familys son-in-law since Friday when activists Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal accused him of acquiring properties currently valued at Rs 500 crore from DLF.Congress spokesman Manish Tewari dubbed the allegations a concert between the BJP and its B-team headed by Kejriwal.P 11

Vadra breaks silence,says he can handle all negativity

New Delhi: Robert Vadra broke his silence on Saturday to assert that he would ride out the storm unleashed by anti-corruption activists.It was alleged that the realty giant DLF helped him amass assets worth Rs 500 crore.
As the storm whirled around him,Vadra reassured his well-wishers on Facebook: Thanks for the concern,I can handle all the negativity.I have lost people I loved what can be worse than that.

The apparently stoic response was the first from Gandhi familys son-in-law since Friday when anti-corruption activists Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal accused him of acquiring properties currently valued at Rs 500 crore from DLF.
The activists alleged that the favours were part of an arrangement where the realtor received concessions from the Congress-run governments in Haryana,Rajasthan and Delhi.

On Saturday,the Left supported the demand for investigation into Vadra-DLF transactions,while the Trinamool Congress said that the Congress owed an explanation to the people.

Congress spokesman Manish Tewari,came to Vadras assistance,saying that activists were working at the BJPs instance.He dubbed the allegations a concert between the BJP and its B-team headed by Kejriwal,going on to say that in case civil society group targets a BJP leader in future it could be only to create the perception of evenhandedness.
It is important to understand the BJP is not a cohesive unit but a faction-ridden party.The day it happens,you will be able to conclusively determine which faction of the BJP is the B-team affiliated to, he said.Kejriwal stuck to his demand for an inquiry into Vadras wealth,stressing that while the Congress and the government had imputed motives to him,they were silent on the merits of their case against the Gandhi familys son-in-law.

Tiwari dismissed the demand for probe into Kejriwals charges.Inquiry into what If two entities have a business agreement and all details are given to statutory bodies,what is the allegation This is despicable, he said.He added that there was nothing new in what Kejriwal had announced and had already been answered when it was first reported by a newspaper.

Vadras are respectable people: Lalu

Begusarai: RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Saturday rubbished allegations against Congress president Sonia Gandhis son-in-law Robert Vadra of buying DLF properties from unsecured loans granted by the company to him.He said Vadras are respectable and rich people and the allegations against them are ridiculous.Anyway,giving ones own property to someone implies nothing unscrupulous, Lalu said,adding people like Kejriwal and Prashant Bhusan were frustrated and disgruntled and their own track record with regard to the UP land scam is under cloud.TNN

Cost Vadra paid for Gurgaon apt among highest

On Robert Vadra purchasing an apartment in the plush Aralias complex in Gurgaon,DLF said he had paid Rs 11.9 crore in September 2008 at the prevailing market price of Rs 12,000 per sq ft.We may also mention that while Aralias was initially launched at Rs 1,800 per sq ft,Vadras purchase at Rs 12,000 per sq ft is among the highest at which the company sold the apartments in Aralias.The alleged figure of Rs 89 lakh as total purchase consideration is completely incorrect, the company said.

DLF added that Vadras Skylight group,as part of its real estate business,had invested in Magnolias apartments at Rs 10,000 per sq ft in March 2008,which was the prevailing market price at that time,although the initial launch price was Rs 4,500 per sq ft.Vadras company also bought flats in DLFs Capital Greens project in Gurgaon at the then prevailing price of Rs 5,000-6,000 per sq ft,it said.

There is no question of offering,let alone selling,Vadra or his group companies any property at a throwaway price.The allegation that seven apartments in Magnolias were sold for Rs 5.2 crore only is also completely baseless.At no stage was a property ever sold to the Skylight group below the then offered price to all customers.The gains,if any,made by Skylight group,by subsequent retrading would be similar to the gains made by those customers and in line with applicable market price appreciation experienced by all DLF customers in general, the statement said.

DLF also denied that Vadra had acquired 50% stake in Hilton Garden Inn Hotel,Saket,for just Rs 31.7 crore.It said the sale was part of the companys strategy to exit non-core businesses and had arrived at an enterprise value of Rs 150 crore-with Rs 80 crore debt and the rest by way of equityfor the hotel in South Delhi.Skylight group acquired a 50% stake for Rs 35 crore,DLF said.Even now,when it is scouting for a partner,the enterprise value is pegged at Rs 200 crore,compared to the Rs 300 crore valuation alleged by the IAC,DLF said without disclosing the date of the transaction with Skylight.

The realty giant said that it didnt receive any favours from the Haryana government for the Magnolia project,where Vadra is alleged to have acquired seven apartments.It said the land was purchased from individuals over a 25-year period and permission to develop was received in the mid-1990 s.

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Having unleashed a lethal set of allegations of corruption against Congress chief Sonia Gandhis son-in-law Robert Vadra,activist duo Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal had the political class in a tizzy on Monday with the threat of dropping another bombshell on Wednesday.
Although there were strong indications to suggest that their latest victim could be from the non-Congress end of the spectrumnot the least because of the need for the activists to rebut the Congresss accusations of being the BJPs accessoriesthe entire political class remained chary of what Bhushan and Kejriwal may have up their sleeves this time.The buzz about the even-handedness did not reassure the Congress ranks against another strike by the activists who have just entered the political arena.The hint that Wednesdays tranche will only be the second of a series of exposes has only heightened the anxiety level across the political class.
The edge-of-the-seat apprehension confirmed the credentials of the activists as game-changers who may have upturned the rules of the political game as it has been played so far.The salvo against Vadra marked the audacious design of the group to go after targets which have for long been considered holy cows.

Kejriwal escalates attack on Vadra-DLF-Haryana nexus

Co,State,Cong Deny Fresh Allegations

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New Delhi: Activist Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday escalated his attack on Robert Vadra,releasing a new set of documents to allege a mala fide nexus between Sonia Gandhis son-in-law and DLF which was facilitated by concessions made by the Congress government in Haryana to the realty major.
Kejriwal cited verdicts from the high court and produced farmers whose land was acquired by the Haryana government for DLFs benefit as he demanded an FIR against Vadra under the Prevention of Corruption Act and an independent probe under a retired Supreme Court judge.Kejriwal tore into Vadra and DLFs claims that all their dealings were above board,while dropping a hint that he was preparing a list of similar nexus involving three other firms India Bulls,BPTP and the GMR Group.

POINT,COUNTERPOINT



1



Kejriwal says

30 acres in Gurgaon earmarked for hospital given to DLF to make SEZ.This was challenged in Punjab & Haryana high court.Court reversed decision and said,... there was a nexus between the government and respondent no.4 and 5 (DLF Ltd) to grab the land

DLF says

order stayed by SC and matter sub-judice Haryana govt says land was allotted to East India Hotels in 1995 but it was unable to develop it and sold it to DLF in 2005 after taking permission.Matter pending in SC

2



Kejriwal:

DLF SEZ Holdings incorporated on Feb 2,2007.On Oct 13,2008,a Robert Vadra group company,North lndia IT Parks,acquired nearly 50% stake but sold it back to DLF in 2009

DLF:

Bought back Vadras stake at same value as it was sold

3



Kejriwal:

Despite Unitech and Country Heights bidding more for 350 acres of land,it was given to DLF.Higher bids rejected on technical grounds.76 acres owned by HUDA,which acquired it from farmers saying it would be used for "public purpose".But it was transferred to DLF

DLF:

Land allotted through international bidding tender.Matter sub-judice

4



Kejriwal:

Govt acquired land cheap from farmers in Manesar,then cancelled land acquisition proceedings and subsequently issued licences in favour of DLF

DLF:

Acquisition withdrawn by govt in Aug 2007.DLF bought rights from other developers in April 2008

5



Kejriwal:

DLFs claim that it gave no unsecured loans to Vadras group contradicted by entries in balance sheets of Vadras companies DLF: Stands by earlier statement that all dealings as per highest ethical standards

6



Kejriwal:

FAR of DLF Phase V increased to favour DLF.Population density increased from 250 to 625 per hectare

DLF:

Project approved in 1995.No changes in FAR or density in revised master plan Haryana govt: No change in density.Unit of measurement changed from acre to hectare.I hectare equals 2.5 acres.So 250 per acre converted to 625 per hectare

[b]If India a banana republic,Sonia largely to blame: IAC [/b]

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Now,Kejriwal accuses Khurshid of 72L scam

Ministers Wife Denies Any Wrongdoing

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Haryana gets Kejriwal dose on hospital plot

Presents More Docus On Land Transfer To DLF

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Activist-turnedpolitician Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday ripped apart the Haryana governments defence on allegations of having favoured a real estate major,putting out a fresh set of documents alleging that the state government facilitated the transfer of land meant for a hospital to DLF.

Rebutting the allegations,the Haryana government had on Tuesday said that the land was released to East India Hotels Ltd more than 16 years ago and permission was granted to it to sell the land to DLF "after following due process of law".
The state government admitted that it had received a representation from East India Hotels Ltd and DLF that the former had not been able to utilize the land for which it had applied for and had sought change of land use.The permission was given after the issue was examined by the law department.

Kejriwal alleged that the sale of 30 acres in Gurgaon meant for building a hospital to the realty major for developing an SEZ raised questions as Robert Vadra later bought a stake in the company.The activist pointed out that the Congress-led state government released the plot in 1996 to East India Hotels on the strict condition that it build a 300-bed hospital there.
The notification said that while 11.25 acres should be sufficient for a hospital,the accompanying green belt would have to be maintained by the allottee.However,despite the fact that no hospital was built on the land till 2005,the state government did not take action against the company nor did it take the land back,Kejriwal said.

This raises a suspicion on the Haryana government as even though the company did not build the hospital for such a long period,neither was any action taken against the company nor was the land taken back by the government, he said.
On the other hand,the statement alleged,East India Hotels sold the land to DLF and the government permitted this transaction even when there was a clear change in use of land.

The activist also rebutted the state governments clarification on increasing FAR in the Gurgaon-Manesar complex plan 2031 as compared to 2025 to benefit DLF Phase V.The government had claimed that the density of the two master plans was the same and only the unit had been changed from per acre to per hectare.

According to the activist,population density was increased from 250 to 625 persons per hectare in the 2031 plan which translated into a substantial increase in FAR.

The government has made an attempt to divert form the main issue.The point in focus is that the special pocket carved out in Gurgaon,which is allowed to have a density of 2.5 times the Gurgaon average,has its boundary same as the boundary of DLF Phase V.The same phase has the DLF projects of Magnolia and Aralias where Robert Vadra has many properties in his companies name.Is it then not clear that the increased density in the Gurgaon master plan is one of quid pro quo for DLF which has been selling property at throwaway prices to Vadra in the same area, Kejriwal said.

IAC arges Khurshid with fund misuse

New Delhi, Oct 10, 2012, DHNS and Agencies:

By exposing Vadra, Kejriwal showed that there should be no sacred cow (rediff)

While supporting Arvind Kejriwal's campaign against corruption, the public has to be cautious about his inflated political aspirations, warns senior analyst B Raman.

Arvind Kejriwal of India Against Corruption has to be complimented for drawing the attention of the public to the alleged wrongdoings of Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi. By doing so, he has shown that in the fight against corruption, there cannot and should not be any sacred cow.

At the same time, all the right-thinking people of this country have to be concerned over some of his political tactics in order to give himself size and shape as one of the future political leaders determined to give the country a clean administration and corruption-free governance.

Kejriwal used Hazare as a ladder to public prominence



It is clear he is a man with political ambitions and a political agenda, who imagines himself as the Moses of India leading the people of this country to their Promised Land. How intensely he pursues his political ambitions and agenda would be evident from the fact that in pursuit of his agenda, he decided to break ties with Anna Hazare, his mentor, but for whom many of us would not have heard of Kejriwal and his hangers-on. He used Anna as a ladder to climb to public prominence and then kicked the ladder away.

Simultaneously, with his campaign against corruption in high places in which he enjoys considerable public support, he has launched a campaign for contesting the next elections to the Delhi assembly. He has every right to do so and one wishes him well in his efforts to seek political pastures.

At the same time, any well-informed person will be worried over some of the tactics adopted by him and his hangers-on in Delhi to seek public support. One would have expected them to draw up an alternative programme of development and corruption-free administration and place it before the people for approval.

Kejriwal's tactics like those adopted by JKLF, instigated by ISI



Instead of doing so, he has embarked on a highly dramatic and high profile agitation to instigate people not to pay their electricity bills on the ground that the electricity charges are unfriendly to the poor. He and his hangers-on have also been unilaterally restoring the power connections of poor people cut off by the administration for non-payment of bills.

His tactics disturbingly remind one of the tactics adopted by the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front and other Kashmiri separatists, at the instigation of the Inter-Services Intelligence, from 1989 onwards.

These organisations instigated the Kashmiris not to pay their electricity and water charges on the grounds that the rates were exorbitant and that the government in Srinagar, which allegedly did not represent the people, had no authority to collect these charges. Millions of rupees worth of utility charges remained unpaid and uncollected.

[b]Kejriwal is Moses in a hurry[/a b]

The separatist elements, whether in J&K or in the northeast, and the Maoists in central India will be carefully watching the tactics adopted by Kejriwal. If tomorrow they copy Kejriwal and appeal to the people not to pay their charges, what will happen to this country? There will be fiscal anarchy.

While supporting Kejriwal's campaign against corruption, the public has to be cautious about his inflated political aspirations and his tendency to see himself as ten-feet tall. An over-ambitious political aspirant, however well-intentioned, can prove destabilising for the country.

Kejriwal is a Moses in a hurry. He should be brought down to earth.

What do expect these ruling goons to do? They are not legitimate themselves.
Robert Vadra calling this counrty Banana Republic and commen man to be Mango people. What the devil of person he is??

defending varda without investigation is unethical n illegal

B Raman

By pronouncing, without an enquiry, that Vadra is innocent, the Congress ministers can be held to be trying to influence the investigating agencies not to go into the matter because Robert Vadra is a privileged person related to Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi and is above the law and any investigation, notes B Raman.

The various allegations made against Robert Vadra, the husband of Priyanka Gandhi and the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, fall into two categories -- criminal and ethical.

The criminal allegations relate to accumulation of wealth beyond his known sources of income.

The other allegations relating to the favours shown to him by the DLF in matters of loans, advances and under-estimation of property value would indicate, if established to be true, a pattern of unethical and not illegal conduct by Vadra.

All these allegations, even if they remain allegations without proof, will have their political fall-out in influencing the perceptions of large sections of the people regarding Priyanka Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and the Congress.

The allegations have to be countered at the political, ethical and legal levels. The political counter has to come from Sonia Gandhi in her capacity as the Congress president and the authorised spokespersons of her party. The objective of the political counter would be to prevent Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and the Congress from being tainted by the alleged wrong-doings of Vadra and to convince the public that whatever Vadra did was in his individual capacity and that the party, its president and daughter cannot be blamed for his actions.

CBI has to take cognisance of the published reports

For this purpose, it is quite legitimate for Sonia Gandhi to direct the spokespersons of her party to interact with the media and appear on TV channels to refute any allegations against the Congress, herself, and Priyanka.

The allegations of an ethical nature have to be countered by Vadra and the DLF company through their personal and institutional explanations to the public. The DLF has sought to do this to some extent, but Vadra has avoided doing this and has sought to take a holier than thou attitude.

On the criminal allegation regarding accumulation of wealth beyond his known sources of income, the Central Bureau of Investigation has to take cognisance of the published reports and initiate the following action:

( i). Register a Preliminary Enquiry Report summarising the allegations publicly made against Vadra and start a PE into these allegations.

( ii ). Issue a written directive to Vadra to submit a list of his movable and immovable assets, a collation of his sources of income, a list of his bank accounts and Xerox copies of his banking transactions and income-tax returns.

(iii ).Scrutinise the documentary evidence so submitted by Vadra and reach a conclusion as to whether his known sources of income would have legitimately enabled him to acquire all the property owned by him.

( iv ).If the conclusion is that the accumulation of wealth by Vadra was in order, inform him and the public and close the PE into the criminal allegations.

( v ). On the other hand, if the conclusion is otherwise, register a First Information Report against Vadra and take up a formal investigation for determining whether he should be arrested and prosecuted.

Did the ministers intervene with the PM's knowledge and approval?

In this connection, the fielding of senior members of the Council of Ministers headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the governor of Karnataka to certify his business transactions as above board without a formal PE as required under the laws relating to corruption and income tax evasion is not only unethical and irregular, but also illegal.

The interventions of these representatives of the government in order to discount in advance the need for any PE amount to attempts to obstruct and influence the course of justice in order to ensure that the law does not take its course against Vadra.

By pronouncing, without an enquiry, that Vadra innocent, these ministers can be held to be trying to influence the investigating agencies not to go into the matter because Vadra is a privileged person related to Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi and is above the law and any investigation.

It is not known whether the ministers have sought to intervene officially in a matter with possible criminal connotations on their own to proclaim their loyalty to Sonia Gandhi or at her instance and whether Dr Manmohan Singh has approved of their actions.

If all these interventions have been made by the ministers without his knowledge and approval, it is time for him to call them to order and to state clearly to the public that the government headed by him would not try to prevent or influence any follow-up action that may be required under the law by agencies of the government to investigate the allegations.

If Dr Manmohan Singh strongly feels unhappy over the actions of some of his ministers, it is time for him to resign from office instead of allowing the dignity and moral stature of his high office to be tainted by their actions.

In the Watergate enquiry in the United States, serious allegations of obstruction of justice and prevention of enquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation were made against then President Richard Nixon and his aides, including the then acting director of the FBI. When these allegations were found to be true, he had to resign and his aides who sought to obstruct justice and prevent the law from taking its course were prosecuted and jailed.

Personally, Vadra cannot be equated with Nixon. He does not hold any office in the government of India. Whatever unethical or illegal acts he allegedly committed were in his individual capacity.

If an ordinary citizen of India had been accused of such acts, large sections of the governmental machinery would not have activated itself or would not have been activated in order to protect him from the arms of the law. The public perception will be that this has been done in his case because he is the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi.

This matter should be debated in all its details and implications in order to ensure that there is no attempt to prevent the law from taking its course.

Did Congress jump the gun by defending Vadra?

Renu Mittal in New Delhi

Sections of the Congress party are of the view that the party would have kept itself out of any embarrassment had it not gone about defending Robert Vadra. Renu Mittal reports

The Congress is looking helpless as social activist Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday made more disclosures on the nexus between the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Haryana government and real estate firm DLF, and on the links between the latter and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra.



Kejriwal has demanded that there should be a probe by a sitting judge and has sought a white paper by the Haryana government to clarify its role in the dealings with DLF and how they worked overtime to benefit one of the biggest real estate firms in India.



Tuesday's press conference is a step forward in proving quid pro quo in dealings between the Haryana government and DLF and how the government worked overtime to benefit DLF.



On the political turf and otherwise, the Congress had little by way of a response except to say that Kejriwal is looking for cheap publicity and has little else to offer.

The Congress on Wednesday saw opposition hand behind Arvind Kejriwal's charges against Robert Vadra and alleged that whenever the party moved for economic reforms, its detractors brought "this type of negativity".

The party also sought to take the wind out of Kejriwal's charges and accused him of speaking "half truths and innuendos".

At the All India [ Images ] Congress Committee briefing, Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury dismissed as "canard" that the charges against Vadra had led to a situation reminiscent of one after allegations of Bofors kickbacks against Rajiv Gandhi [ Images ] some 25 years ago.

"It is a canard. It is not surprising that every time we bring reforms, opposition has nothing else to contribute; they gather...they deter, distract, dilute...This type of negativity. This is nothing new that we cannot handle.

"We have handled such negativity before. This is malicious. New standards of low in public discourse. It is the modus operandi of these people.....This government will move forward on the reforms path," she said.

Attacking Kejriwal, she said his charges were "absurd" as there was no land belonging to the Haryana government which was given away to realty major DLF. "There is no such land (earmarked for hospital)."


She said it was "quite amazing and unfortunate" that the charges are being given weightage despite not having "any substantive evidence".

Asked as to why Vadra, son-in-law of party president Sonia Gandhi [ Images ] is silent, she wondered as to what can one do when faced with random accusations. She also asked the media, "Why you are giving credibility and credit" to Kejriwal as "half truths and innuendos does not constitute a statement".

The AICC had on Tuesday dared Kejriwal to issue a white paper on the finances for his campaign.

The congress leaders who are defending Robert Vadra, FDI, petrol price hike, CWG irregularities, coalgate, 2G scam etc must be awarded by President of India for showing solidarity with Govt. and trying their best for stability of Govt. The sooner they will be awarded more likely to defend first family.

Did Congress jump the gun by defending Vadra?

Party spokesman Rashid Alvi, who was ill-prepared to defend Vadra, said there is no proof of the validity of the documents that Kejriwal quoted from, but as an afterthought added that he is free to go to the courts as the courts had looked into such cases earlier. He, however, refused to say whether the party or Vadra would file a defamation suit against the social activist for his accusations.

Kejriwal, on the other hand, said he was speaking from a sense of responsibility and that the Congress was free to file a defamation suit against him if the charges are proved to be incorrect.

While Finance Minister P Chidambaram has already ruled out a probe, Corporate Affairs Minister Veerappa Moily said they have undertaken an investigation into six of Vadra's companies and found that there was nothing wrong in his dealings with DLF.

One fails to understand under which rules and under which terms and conditions the corporate affairs ministry conducted the inquiry into Vadra's companies.


Sections of the Congress are of the view that defending Vadra in the first instance was a mistake, as no one knows where the disclosures would stop.

They said that instead of party leaders and ministers competing with each other to defend him, Vadra should have given his own statement of defence and produced a battery of lawyers to defend his case.

That way, whatever the outcome, the party would have kept itself out of any embarrassment.

Vadra appears to be in the habit of shooting from the hip. His last post on social networking website Facebook said, "Mango people in a banana republic". The remark triggered an outrage following which he shut down his Facebook account.

Kejriwal's press conference made a number of charges against the Haryana chief minister and Vadra. Some of the points raised by him are:

"How did Vadra wealth jump from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 300 crore in five years?"

"We are not an investigating agency. But the 'Mango people' of this country sent us evidence and we are presenting that today."

"There is a nexus between the Haryana government and DLF. The Punjab and Haryana high court said there is malafide nexus. A 30-acre plot in Gurgaon meant for a hospital was instead given to DLF by the Haryana govt on March 9, 2007 to build an SEZ. People whose land was acquired went to court, and it cancelled the SEZ."


"'Power of acquisition has been used for colourable purpose', the high court verdict had said. In yet another case, the court observed that land had been wrongly given to DLF by the state (Haryana). 'Government offices are tilted in favour of showering favours on DLF,' the court had ruled."


"350 acres of land in Gurgaon worth Rs 1700 crore was given to DLF. Farmers were paid Rs 20 lakh per acre while DLF got it for Rs 5 crore. Robert Vadra bought 25,000 shares or 50 per cent in the DLF-SEZ company and sold them back to DLF within two years. In these two years, we need to see what benefits DLF got."

"The Haryana government says there was an international bid. But while opening the technical bid, new conditions were imposed and bids from Unitech and Country Heights were not opened. But we have come to know they were much higher than DLF."

"Of the 350 acres, 75 acres belonged to Haryana Urban Development Authority -- which was acquired from farmers for making roads between sectors 42-54 and 43-53... and all that land was given to DLF. The possession of the land was given without permissions from forest and other relevant departments."

"The Haryana government made a 2031 plan wherein DLF Phase 5 population density was increased from 250 to 615, thus benefitting DLF. The worst-affected are farmers from Manesar. When DLF front companies bought land in Manesar from farmers, the Haryana government cancelled the land acquisition after all the distress selling. Now the farmers have filed a case and the high court has put a stay."

"We had said unsecured loans to the tune of Rs 65 crore were given to Vadra by DLF. We dug further and found loans worth Rs 85 crore. The Aralia (apartment) balance sheet says Rs 89 lakh, but the DLF response says Vadra bought the flat for Rs 11 crore (Kejriwal then showed signatures of Vadra).

In Magnolia apartment, they have filed 7 flats for Rs 5 crore. So either the balance sheet is wrong or what DLF claims is wrong. I was in the Income Tax department, and this is a fitting case for a raid. But what do you expect in a country where the finance minister says an inquiry will not be done. Is Chidambaram Vadra's taxman?"

Sources close to Kejriwal say that he has much more information on Vadra and his business dealings, and as the Congress and the Congress-led UPA government goes into denial mode, more evidence on how he amassed his wealth is likely to surface in the days ahead.