Vadra-DLF land deal not a poll code violation: Election Commission

New Delhi, Oct 9: The

has said that granting the DLF deal to Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law

before the elections was not a poll code violation. This comes in the wake of allegations by PM Narendra Modi who said in a recent rally that the sanctioning was hasty. He said,"Yesterday, despite the Model Code of Conduct, the son-in-law was given land. They know after the results he won't be given anything. The Election Commission should take cognizance and appropriate action in this regard."

Modi sarcastically described the validation of the deal as "a parting gift from the state's Congress government to the party's First Family".

However, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said "Mr Modi's speech was factually incorrect and far from the truth". And that the deal was cleared following proper procedure in July, much before the code of conduct kicked in.

The Electin Commission, in a two page order said,"...there does not seem to be any violation of the model code of conduct by the government of Haryana in the above matter after the coming into force of the model code of conduct from September 12..."

In 2012, senior Haryana bureaucrat Ashok Khemka had alleged that rules were being bent for Mr Vadra for his hefty connections. Following this, Khemka had cancelled the mutation of the 3.5 acres sold by Mr Vadra in 2008 to DLF. Three days later, he was transferred.

The Haryana government later proved that his allegations were baseless and sanctioned the mutations back.

[Get full coverage of Haryana Assembly Elections 2014]

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