The newly elected Haryana government led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday decided in principle to probe all land deals, including those involving Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, as well as review decisions and announcements made by the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government.
Talking to reporters here on Monday after the first meeting of the Council of Ministers, sworn in a day before, Mr. Khattar did not give a direct answer to questions on a possible probe against Mr. Vadra or violation of legal provisions for granting ‘change in land use.’ He said the agenda of the meeting was to finalise November 3 as the date to convene the Assembly, when the new legislators would be sworn in, and to elect the Speaker. The portfolios of the Ministers would be allocated soon.
Mr. Khattar said his priority was to implement the agenda for which the people had voted the government to power. The law would take its course on the issue of controversial land deals in which the name of Mr. Vadra figured, he said and made it clear that investigation into the matter would be carried out without vendetta.
However, senior-most Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, on the sidelines of the meeting, told reporters that the government would constitute a special commission headed by a retired High Court judge to probe the issue. Another Minister alleged that 70,000 acres had been acquired from farmers at paltry prices and sold to developers at huge profits.
Mr. Khattar said the new government would also review the decision pertaining to recruitments made after May 16, 2014 by the previous government. Enhanced old age pension and pay scales to government employees on the Punjab pattern from November 1 onwards had also been withheld. Mr. Khattar said after a proper review, decisions found to be in public interest would be continued. The Cabinet also decided to stop ongoing recruitment with immediate effect. Re-employment of government employees by the previous government would also be re-examined.
