The Bharatiya Janta Party has urged Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva to institute a high level empowered committee to probe several land purchase deals made by businessman Robert Vadra in the state's solar power hub.
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleged that Mr. Vadra's company purchased “hundreds of acres of agricultural land at throwaway prices” from farmers in the state's solar power zone districts of Bikaner, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer and sold it for a huge premium to power companies.
A BJP delegation had submitted a memorandum in this regard to the governor on June 25 this year.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Robert Vadra's company bought the land for Rs.10-20,000/bigha from innocent farmers and sold it to power companies at an escalated price of Rs. 700,000 per acre,” Mr. Somaiya alleged.
After Mr. Vadra's company purchased the cheap land, the union and state governments, working in collusion as part of a pre-planned move, declared the land to be part of the Solar Park Zone thus increasing its value, the BJP claimed.
“We approached the state government, the state assembly and the parliament, but the governments at the centre and the state are protecting him,” alleged Mr. Somaiya.
ADVERTISEMENT
He urged the Governor to vet the documents and subsequently get the land deal probed by a high-level empowered committee in public interest.