Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka Gandhi has been found to have undertaken a land transaction that is raising some eyebrows.
According to reports, Priyanka had bought 5 acres of agricultural land in Amipur village in Faridabad district of Haryana for Rs 15 lakh on April 28, 2006. That piece of land was resold to the original owner around four years later on February 17, 2010 at a price of Rs 80 lakh.
While the nature of transaction itself is intriguing, what complicated the matter further is that it came under the radar of Dhingra Commission, which was set up in May 2015 by the new Haryana government led by BJP’s Manohar Lal Khattar to look into some deals involving Robert Vadra, husband of Priyanka Gandhi. Vadra had received money from real estate company DLF, and the commission looked into th possibility if a part of that money was used by his wife to buy properties in Faridabad in Haryana.
In a statement issued by her office, Priyanka said the source of funds for the land purchase was “rental income” from the property “inherited from her maternal grandmother” and it had nothing to do with Robert Vadra or his business/land deals or with the DLF.
However, a clear reading of the statement issued by Priyanka’s office suggests that she had brought the land at circle rate (much lower than market rate at virtually all places) and then sold it at market rate. Though this is not illegal, one wonders why the seller would settle for such a transaction.
While Priyanka Gandhi appears safe as of now, Justice SN Dhingra Commission in its report has reportedly concluded that Robert Vadra made unlawful profits of Rs 50.5 crore from a land deal in Haryana in 2008 without spending a single paisa. The Commission has sought an inquiry into the property bought by Vadra and his businesses. The Haryana government has recently submitted the report in the Supreme Court.
After the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government took the reins in Haryana, it constituted a one-man commission headed by (Rtd) Justice SN Dhingra in 2015 to probe the illegal land deals. Vadra is accused of buying 31 properties in and around Delhi from DLF’s unsecured loans at prices that were much lower than the prevailing market rate.
Further, there were allegations that realty giant DLF had enjoyed a quid pro quo with Vadra in the illegal land deals. Vadra’s company Skylight Hospitality is accused of buying a 3.5 acre plot in Shikohpur village near Manesar at a cost of Rs 7 crore and then selling it to DLF for Rs 58 crore. The previous Congress government in Haryana allegedly tweaked the rules to facilitate the illegal deal.
Now with this latest revelations, it appears that Priyanka Gandhi too has made profits by buying and selling lands. As of now, she is denying any wrongdoing in her dealings, though the BJP has decided to make it an issue:
6 fold rise of property price in 4 years. Another windfall gain for Vadras! Evident from the statement released by Priyanka Gandhi herself. https://t.co/srNA8F7rHH
— GVL Narasimha Rao (@GVLNRAO) April 27, 2017
National Herald,Skylight Hospitality & now Priyanka Gandhi’s profiteering from land deals!
It’s family of Politicians or PROPERTY DEALERS?— Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) April 28, 2017
This is not the first time Priyanka got caught in an illegal property deal. Earlier in 2010, Priyanka’s summer holiday home in Charabbra village of Shimla came under scanner. She was accused of building the house on a land she had allegedly acquired illegally.
