Rajiv Gandhi Trust: Gadkari demands Haryana CM''s resignation

New Delhi, Aug 3: Strengthened by B S Yeddyurappa's resignation as Karnataka Chief Minister following graft charges, BJP today (Aug 3) demanded the head of Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda for "illegal" denotification and lease of land in Gurgaon to Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust.

BJP chief Nitin Gadkari charged Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son and party general secretary Rahul and daughter Priyanka Vadhra of taking more than five acres of panchayat land in Haryana's Ullahawas village on lease for a rent of Rs 3 lakh per annum.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadhra are trustees of the charitable body.

"All laws were set aside by the Hooda government to give this land worth Rs 50 crore on lease to the Gandhi family. The land was denotified before it was leased to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and daughter Priyanka. Why this double standards of the Gandhi family?" Gadkari alleged.

The land, which belonged to the panchayat and hence was a collective property of the village, was reportedly alloted to the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust and one H R Sachdeva, a dentist alleged to be close to the Gandhi family.

A case is pending in the court on the matter.

"If Yeddyurappa had to resign due to denotification of a land, the Hooda government should also resign for denotifying this property," Gadkari said.

He insisted that his party will appeal to the Haryana High Court that all aspects of this deal should be investigated by a Special Investigation Team. He also demanded that a retired judge conduct a probe into all land acquired by the Hooda government during its tenure.

PTI