Not making charges against Robert Vadra in personal capacity: Khemka

Chandigarh, Aug 13: Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka on Monday sought to clear the "erroneous impression" that he had personally shared with the media the allegations against Robert Vadra, saying that the charges were actually part of the report submitted by him to the Haryana government.

"Some reports appearing in a section of the media give the erroneous impression that the allegations are being made by me in person to the media. "But the fact is that the statements form part of the official report submitted to the State Government by me on May 21, 2013," Khemka, the Secretary and Director General of the state archives, said in a statement here.

"It is made abundantly clear hereby that I have not made any comments in person on the subject till date to any print or electronic media. "Any attribution in news reports should not be to Ashok Khemka in person, but to the official report submitted to the state government," the statement added.

Haryana government had yesterday denied allegations made in the said report against its Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) in connection with the Vadra-DLF land deal. Vadra is married to Congress President Sonia Gandhi's daughter, Priyanka Gandhi.

The report states that Vadra "falsified documents" for 3.53 acres of land in Gurgaon and "pocketed" a large premium on a commercial colony licence. The report submitted to the state government's three- member inquiry panel set up to look into the issue alleges that Vadra executed a series of "sham transactions" for the land in Shikohpur village of Gurgaon.

Meanwhile, main Opposition INLD today submitted a memorandum to Governor Jagannath Pahadia demanding a judicial inquiry into the Vadra-DLF deal and other alleged land scams which have come to light under the Hooda government.

"Khemka submitted a detailed report to the Haryana chief secretary three months back regarding these land scams and it is a very serious matter which needs to be thoroughly probed," INLD state president Ashok Arora told reporters here.

PTI