3 min readChandigarhMar 14, 2014 12:12 PM IST
First published on: Oct 9, 2013 at 04:59 AM IST
The Haryana Lokayukta is planning to secure evidence on the sting operation in which senior Congress leaders have been recorded demanding money against change of land use (CLU) certificates. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD),which raised the issue against the CDs,is preparing to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Nearly a month after Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda referred a probe into the sting to the Lokayukta,the probe is yet to take off for want of a complaint or required material.
Ironically INLD,which created a furore in the Assembly and was suspended en bloc from the House for the entire session,seems to be dragging its feet on making a formal complaint. Under tremendous pressure Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda referred the case to Lokayukta,but the government is yet to supply the CDs and related evidence. The INLD also submitted CDs to the Governor with a memorandum but no action came from the that quarter.
Eight CDs which showed Chief Parliamentary Secretaries,MLAs and their kith and kin striking deals to get Change of Land Use (CLUs) cleared on prime locations were unveiled on the eve of monsoon session more than a month ago. Except for former Finance Minister Sampat Singh who admitted that the CD showed his son,every one else termed the CDs as fake. Singh too defended his son saying that he was merely looking into the file given to him,did not make any commitment and was merely listening to the statements of the impersonators.
Senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala told The Indian Express said they would wait for a while before approaching the Punjab and Haryana High Court. “It was the Chief Minister who referred the case to the Lokayukta against our demand for a probe by a sitting high court judge. It is his responsibility to provide evidence. We ourselves gave the CDs to the Governor but he too has not done nothing,” said Chautala. He said his party had already rejected the Lokayukta probe as they did not expected justice from a person who is appointed by the government that is under the scanner in this case.
Those who were in the eye of the storm over the CDs included Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS) Ram Kishan Fouji and Vinod Bhyana. Another CPS Jaleb Khan came under attack as his son Sajid was shown striking a deal. Three MLAs,Zarnail Singh,Naresh Selvel and Ram Niwas Ghorella were also caught on camera allegedly demanding money. A youth Congress leader Sanjay Chhoker and Gaurav,son of Sampat Singh MLA,also feature in the controversial CDs.
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