Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ravi Shankar Prasad (L) and MP from Bikaner Arjun Ram Meghwal release documents on Robert Vadra's alleged land case involving DLF at BJP headquarters in Delhi on Sunday in Delhi. Photo: Monica Tiwari.
BJP seeks Sonia, Rahul to explain Robert Vadra model(Video)
April 27, 2014
BJP in Delhi held a press conference on ‘Robert Vadra’ model. Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad clarified that the press conference was not about targeting one family or one individual, but it was about corruption under political patronage. BJP released a video film on Rober Vadra’s land and other deals. Ravi Shankar Prasad said, so far Robert Vadra has been defended only by Priyanka Gandhi, but today the BJP wants to ask question to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to explain the Robert Vadra model of development. How Mr. Vadra with initial investment of Rs. 1 lakh made huge profit of Rs. 300 crore in few years. Prasad said one of the family members of Gandhi family today spoke about morale strength and large heart. This family member should explain which morale and large heart played role in escalation of Vadra’s empire. BJP distributed a note among journalists titled as ‘Damad Shree’ containing comprehensive details on Vadra’s deals in various states that also involve some criminal offenses that need investigation.
BJP attacks the 'Vadra Model of Development'; questions Gandhi son-in-law's business growth
DNA Web Team Sunday 27 April 3:20 PM
At press conference organised by Ravi Shankar Prasad, today, the BJP once again launched an attack on Robert Vadra's land deals.Presented through a 'documentary', that took a rather sarcastic stance, on the what they referred to as the 'Vadra Model of Development', the party leaders questioned the Congress party over the various deals involving Priyanka Gandhi's husband. They also released a booklet titled 'Damad Shree' documenting these accusations.Interestingly, this attack comes hours after Gandhi statement against BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, saying that one does not need a 56-inch chest to run the country but a "big heart" and "moral strength".Following the video documentary, Prasad launched a series of questions directly targeting Sonia and Rahul Gandhi over "helping build Robert Vadra's empire". * Why was the licence for Skylight Hospitality renewed on 18/1/2011, despite knowing that a 50 crore advance has been received from DLF?* Was short term capital gain tax paid for?* According to the CAG, there was supposed to be thematic audit. However, there are a lot inconsistencies in the same. For one, this audit was dropped, and we would like to know why?* The questions are raised because of the recent move to commercialise the Aravalli forest land, violating environmental laws. Is there a Haryana Model of development along side the Vadra Model of development?Watch the conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6COPPH1RdE
DNA Web Team Sunday 27 April 3:20 PM
At press conference organised by Ravi Shankar Prasad, today, the BJP once again launched an attack on Robert Vadra's land deals.
At press conference organised by Ravi Shankar Prasad, today, the BJP once again launched an attack on Robert Vadra's land deals.
Presented through a 'documentary', that took a rather sarcastic stance, on the what they referred to as the 'Vadra Model of Development', the party leaders questioned the Congress party over the various deals involving Priyanka Gandhi's husband. They also released a booklet titled 'Damad Shree' documenting these accusations.
Interestingly, this attack comes hours after Gandhi statement against BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, saying that one does not need a 56-inch chest to run the country but a "big heart" and "moral strength".
Following the video documentary, Prasad launched a series of questions directly targeting Sonia and Rahul Gandhi over "helping build Robert Vadra's empire".
* Why was the licence for Skylight Hospitality renewed on 18/1/2011, despite knowing that a 50 crore advance has been received from DLF?
* Was short term capital gain tax paid for?
* According to the CAG, there was supposed to be thematic audit. However, there are a lot inconsistencies in the same. For one, this audit was dropped, and we would like to know why?
* The questions are raised because of the recent move to commercialise the Aravalli forest land, violating environmental laws. Is there a Haryana Model of development along side the Vadra Model of development?
Watch the conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6COPPH1RdE
Express News Service | New Delhi | April 27, 2014 4:12 pm
BJP releases video targeting Vadra as Priyanka mocks Modi
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/general-elections-2014/more-stories/BJP-releases-video-targeting-Vadra-as-Priyanka-mocks-Modi/articleshow/34293032.cms?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=timesofindia
Tale of Damad 420 – Part 1
Piyush Kulshreshtha23 Oct 2013
Robert Vadra needs no introduction to the Indian public. Everybody knows he is the husband of Priyanka (Gandhi) Vadra or as they call her out of ‘love’ – Bhaiyaji, brother-in-law of the ever-disappointing Rahul Gandhi and son-in-law of the always-invisible Sonia Gandhi.The aura around Robert Vadra
He is the only person who is illegally extended the privilege of ‘no frisking’ at airports and enjoys these privileges with a sense of divine right. It is therefore only fair to evaluate Robert Vadra as a person who will have no moral fear or shame in partaking of any spoils that accrue to him legally or illegally, morally or immorally, due to the power and influence wielded by his wife’s family.
The Nehru Gandhi family has been in power for over nine years at the Centre and while the UPA1 Government enjoyed a period of some urgent and massive loot, UPA2 faced a period of unbelievable exposures of corruption scandals carried out during UPA1 rule. The scams unearthed till date amount to Rs 20 lakh crore. How many more are yet to come to light is anybody’s guess as there is not one Ministrythat remains untouched by this widespread and deep-rooted corruption. As my friend MR Venkatesh announced during the Mumbai launch of his book Dr Manmohan Singh – A Decade of Decay, this Government has the rare distinction of committing the ‘Pancha-Bhoot Scam’. The scams touch all five elements. Prithvi (mining scams like coal and thorium, countless land scams), Agni, Jal, Vayu (2G Scam), Aakash (S-Band Scam). Or as Narendra Modi said, the Congress-led UPA has a done a scam starting with every single English Alphabet, where D stands for ‘daamad ka karobaar’.
Perception’s decisive edge over proof of corruption
Primarily because there has been an over Rs 20 lakh crore of loot (excluding Rs 60 lakh crore Thorium scam.) under the authority of Robert Vadra’s wife’s family, and also because Vadra himself doesn’t shy away from enjoying the spoils that accrue, the people of this country are convinced that Robert Vadra and the sharp rise in his fortunes are clearly the results of this loot. Most thinking people don’t even entertain a faintest thought about innocence of Vadra. He is corrupt, his rise is illegitimate and this matter is concluded.
What the country needs however is to learn how Robert Vadra operates
We have to remember that Robert Vadra has at his disposal the best advice to execute his nefarious activities by enjoying every loophole within the system, looking absolutely normal on the face of it, enjoying a blind eye if, god forbid, something comes up by chance and having a ready army of paid media to divert attention and obscure issues in case of a rare exposure.
We created a system for obtaining India’s brightest minds for the service of the nation through IAS, IFS, IPS etc and now these bright minds provide service to their political masters as the institutions they were hired to run have already died a thousand deaths.
This is white-collar scam. They are not crude. They don’t look like scams on the face of it. Even your strongest suspicions will find it difficult to arrive at their modus operandi. This is a learning curve for the nation and anti-corruption forces of the nation, and none is brighter than the other. Each one of us has to bring out our understanding of a small part of these scams and complete this complex picture.
Please remember that information is always incomplete in such scams and comes slowly. One just maintains a dynamic approach to analyses of such scams. There are no final conclusions but a range of interim conclusions, based on the amount of information available.
Corruption and the corrupt in this 21st century can be curbed and apprehended only through such a wide-scale participation for the understanding of the Modus Operandi.
First case with some proofs
While the rumours of Vadra’s stake in the helicopter charter business, Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL Team), DLF’s Emporio Mall in Delhi, Unitech’s 2G Venture, benaami stake in BPTP Lands etc have constantly done the rounds, there has been little to offer by way of proof.
However, over the last few months, actions of one IAS officer Ashok Khemka have brought at least one Robert Vadra deal to public attention. There is something by way of documentary proof, sequence of events as well as hints of corruption, crony capitalism, benaami transactions, submission by Government offices to the influence and power of Robert Vadra.
This is the story of a land deal which moved from Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd. to Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd. in 2008 and then from Skylight Hospitaity Pvt Ltd to DLF Universal Ltd. in 2012.
The facts of the case
The facts presented here are part of Ashok Khemka’s reply to the three-member committee’s enquiry into the cancellation of Mutation Entry of the Onkareshwar Properties-Skylight Hospitality Deal and therefore, Skylight Hospitality-DLF Universal deal.
The flow of Events
1. Property description – 5 bighas and 13 biswas (3.53 acres approx.) at Khasra No. 730, Village Shikohpur, Sector-83, District Gurgaon.
2. Till Februrary 12, 2008, the property belonged to Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd.
3. On Februrary 12, 2008, the property was transferred by Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd to Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd for a total consideration of Rs 7.5 crore.
4. On March 28, 2008, “only” a Letter of Intent (LoI) for grant of commercial license was issued by DTCP for 2.701 acres of land out of a total of 3.53 acres.
5. On August 5, 2008, Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd entered into a collaboration (nature of instrument, like development agreement, joint venture, AoP or just an MoU etc is not mentioned, however, it is mentioned that it was an unregistered document executed on a non-judicial paper worth Rs 100 only) with DLF Retail Developers Ltd for development of the property on a Commercial Basis.
Pls note: Only a Collaboration has taken place and there is no sale of land yet to DLF by Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd.
6. On December 15, 2008, possibly upon payment of development and other charges, as may have been mentioned in the LoI dated March 28, 2008, License for Commercial Use of Land is issued. The same is valid for a period of two years, i.e. upto December 14, 2010.
7. After lapse of commercial license on December 14, 2010, on January 18, 2011, license is extended by additional 2 years – i.e. upto December 14, 2012.
8. On April 3, 2012, DTCP grants “only” the permission to transfer the Commercial License in favor of DLF Universal Ltd.
Note: This must be, in all probability, an advise/consultation from the DTCP that change of land title will not affect the change of land user to commercial purpose. Also that after transfer of Land Title, DTCP must communicate with DLF Universal Ltd and not Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd.
9. On September 18, 2012, the Land is “purchased” by DLF Universal Ltd. (possibly, as Ashok Khemka’s report doesn’t detail and permission for transfer of License is issued to DLF Universal Ltd) from Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd for a consideration of Rs 58 crore, after holding the property for over 4.5 years.
Parties involved
1. Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd – A company incorporated in September 2004. Then owned by Satyanand Yajee (98 per cent shares).
2. Satyanand Yajee – An Old and close associate of Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister, Haryana. He was reportedly the person in charge of building a memorial for CM Hooda’s father, Chaudhary Ranbir Singh in Rohtak.
3. There are reportedly two other Directors – Sandeep Dahiya and Sushil Gupta.
Note: I am saying this on the basis of an NDTV report by Sreenivasan Jain on this matter, published on August 17, 2013.
4. Sandeep Dahiya – A nephew of Bhupinder Singh Hooda from his wife’s side.
5. Sushil Gupta – Reports allege that he is a close associate of Hooda from Rohtak. But nothing else seems to be known.
6. Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd. – A Company incorporated in November 2007. Owned by Robert Vadra (99.8 per cent shares).
7. Robert Vadra – Husband of Priyanka Gandhi. Son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi.
8. DLF Retail Developers Ltd. – A wholly-owned subsidiary of DLF Ltd run by daughter of KP Singh–Pia Singh. The company is primarily into Development of Retail Space and is the owner of DLF Emporio, the high-end mall in Delhi, amongst others.
9. DLF Universal Ltd – Possibly the same as DLF Ltd, as the name was changed in May 2006.
Ashok Khemka’s accusations
1. The sale consideration of Rs 7.5 crore mentioned in sale deed between Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd and Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd was never paid out and the Stamp Duty of Rs 45 lakh was paid by the Onkareshwar and not Skylight. This is contrary to the submissions in the sale deed between the two parties. Both the facts are construed as misrepresentation of the facts in front of Joint Sub-Registrar of Assurances.
2. Khemka points out that since no payment was made, the sale deed didn’t confer ownership title over the land, under discussion. He calls the sale deed a sham-deed, and has, on this basis, cancelled the mutation entry in the land revenue records of Gurgaon.
3. Then Khemka dwells on the possibility of ‘inability’ of Robert Vadra to pay Rs 7.5 crore of Sale Consideration and Rs 45 lakhs of stamp duty through his company Skylight Hospitality. He points to various media reports carrying statements of CMD of Corporation Bank, his own analysis of the audit report of Skylight Hospitality etc. He then extends this argument to Skylight’s capacity to even carry out Commercial Development, on the said land.
4. Then he construes all of this as misrepresentation of facts and adds it up as a reason for his cancellation of the Mutation Entry into the Land Revenue Records of Gurgaon.
5. On page 54 of his response to the three-member committee’s inquiry report into this case, Khemka goes on to accept, on the basis of details in the collaboration agreement between Skylight and DLF Retail as well as Skylight’s balance sheet that the payment was finally made around August 2008 after Skylight received Rs 25crore from DLF Retail, on execution of collaboration agreement.
6. He also accuses DLF of obtaining a letter of intent as well as a License for Commercial Use of Land through Skylight Hospitality only to get the Unofficial Premium (corruption money to get LoI, black money) accounted for since on books of DLF Retail, the payment to Skylight Hospitality is made through Bank Transaction (white money).
7. Khemka also argues that since the collaboration agreement was not registered, it caused loss of revenue to Land Revenue Depertment by way of stamp duty. He accuses the personnel of the department of having played into the hands of such parties as they entertained communications from DLF Retail, on behalf of Skylight Hospitality.
8. A little later, Khemka reveals that there was a Power of Attorney issued by Skylight Hospitality in the name of Devinder Singh, who was primarily a DLF personnel.
9. Then Khemka questions the issuance of license of commercial use to Skylight Hospitality because the possession of the land has already been given to DLF retail.
10. Khemka also construes a collaboration agreement as a sale deed. This is in spite of clear mention in the Collaboration Agreement that DLF Retail and Skylight Hospitality will each have a 50 per cent stake. And for DLF’s 50per cent stake Rs 20 crore was paid as an advance and Rs 5 crore was paid as interest-free, refundable deposit against Skylight Hospitality’s 50 per cent built-up area, to be refunded to DLF Retail upon handover of the built-up area.
11. On page 69 of his response, Khemka accuses DLF of having considerable clout within DTCP for getting renewal of commercial land use license, as even now there is no work going on at the site and the current license may lapse.
12. Khemka thereafter questions the permission to transfer of commercial land Use License from Skylight Hospitality. He likens it to a driving license and says it is given on the basis of ability of the land owner to carry out the development.
13. On the September 18, 2012 the sale deed between DLF Universal and Skylight Hospitality, Khemka says, the details of the collaboration agreement are not mentioned and this too is misrepresentation of facts in front of Joint Sub-registrar of Assurances.
14. Going back to Onkareshwar Properties, Khemka says selling the 3.53 acre land to Robert Vadra through his company Skylight Hospitality, gave benefits to Onkareshwar Properties by way of issuance of Group Housing Licenses from DTCP on two other properties of this company in Sihi Village, Sector-82, District Gurgaon. One, was a 6.262 acres of land, the other was 15.068 acres.
Above is a summary of the charges made by Khemka in his response. Most of these charges, unfortunately, don’t hit the mark. There is clearly something wrong with the deals here. A company owned/run by Hooda’s associates and relatives is dealing with Robert Vadra’s company.
http://www.niticentral.com/2013/10/23/damad-420-robert-vadras-land-deals-part-1-149357.html
Damad 420: Vadra’s land deals – Part 2
This is the second of a two-part article. You can read part one here.
Why these charges miss the mark?
Ashok Khemka is a learned man with years of experience behind him, so I will give reasons for why I think his charges miss the mark. We shall go point by point of Khemka’s charges as listed here.
1. Non-payment of Sale Consideration of Rs 7.5 crore as mentioned in the deed and payment of Stamp Duty by Onkareshwar Properties, contrary to claim in the deed – In all probabilities, the Sale Deed between Onkareshwar & Skylight refers to receipt of a cheque dated February 9, 2008 in the sale deed. This is a usual practice. This has never amounted to ‘encashment’ of such a cheque. Payment committed in a sale deed can be paid at a later date, if the buying and selling parties have considerably close relations or confidence and trust on each other. For example, during sale of residential units, the sale agreement is registered any time after the developer obtains Work Commencement Certificate. Since the construction is not complete, the payment has not been made in full. The remaining payment is received on a future date.
Moreover, in this specific case, if Skylight Hospitality fails to meet itsfinancial obligation as per the sale deed, it is for Onkareshwar Properties to complain and file a case for cancellation of the sale deed due to non-compliance of the financial obligation. The Land Revenue Department has no role in this case. As far as the matter of payment of stamp duty is concerned, Khemka already agrees that Stamp Duty was paid. His limited contention here is that it was not paid by Skylight Hospitality as declared in the deed, but by Onkareshwar Properties. That is a non-issue. Land Revenue department has not lost any revenue by way of stamp duty. It is a fairly common practice that when in a certain deal sales price is considered high, the buyer passes the responsibility and liability of payment of Stamp Duty & Registration to the seller.
In other cases, where the buyer & seller have considerable personal comfort with each other, seller may agree to receive the sale consideration at a future date as well as pay the stamp duty and later have it reimbursed by the buyer at a future date. We anyway find that Khemka’s own admission on page 54 of his response, the sale consideration was paid back and the amount paid for the stamp duty was reimbursed to Onkareshwar Properties by Skylight Hospitality, by August 2008, after execution of Collaboration Agreement.
2. Since no sale consideration was paid, sale deed doesn’t conferownership of land on Skylight Hospitality, this was basis of his cancellation of mutation entry – no Registrar of Assurances or Land Revenue Record provides Guaranteed Title on the land. They only provide Presumptive Title on the Land. For example, in case of a dispute, like in double sale, it is the court that determines which title is correct. There is no role for Land Revenue Department to take any Suo Motu action on such matters.
3. Inability of Robert Vadra to pay for the deal in 2008 – This is a very subjective remark and is directly against the spirit of entrepreneurship. In almost any industry, people fill tenders, without having a real wherewithal to pay the capital required to complete the order. People raise money by way of equity and debt etc. This is the very spirit of entrepreneurship.
Even otherwise, if our primary contention is that Robert Vadra is without doubt a corrupt man, then we must remember that the Congress was in power at the Centre since 2004. Looking at the sizes of the scams, are we saying that Vadra wouldn’t have managed to raise Rs 7.95 crore for a deal in February 2008, four years after his wife’s family took control of the Government at the Centre?
His other methods like books of accounts etc are childish. Unsecured loan could have come from anywhere else, including his other group companies or his own personal bank accounts. There is little to gain by way of pursuing this argument.
4. All these are misrepresentation of facts in front of Sub-Registrar of Assurances, hence cancellation of Mutation Entry – almost none of the matters above fall in the category of misrepresentation of facts in any serious way. Moreover, these issues are purely bilateral between buyer and seller. Mistakes, if any, are allowed to be corrected by way of a Rectification Deed.
5. Acceptance on page 54 of his response that after Collaboration Agreement with DLF Retail, Skylight Hospitality received Rs 25cr and from this Rs 7.95 cr (sale consideration and Stamp Duty reimbursement) was made to Onkareshwar Properties – What can Khemka, possibly, object to in this part of transaction? Original seller has finally received the money, Skylight Hospitality has finally borne the stamp duty by reimbursing Onkareshwar Properties. Skylight has generated financial backing by tying up with a strong real estatedeveloper. Which part is illegal or criminal or even immoral here?
6. DLF used Skylight for CLU to account for black money as white money in its books of account – a very silly charge. We are talking about Robert Vadra here. He is not even frisked at the airports. Are we saying he needed to pay the personnel at DTCP to get the Letter of Intent within 18 days? Does he logically and practically need to do that? Especially, when he has just purchased the land from a company owned and run by close associates and relatives of the Chief Minister of Haryana,Bhupinder Singh Hooda? And if Vadra doesn’t need to pay DTCP staff for LoI, where is the question of black and white money?
Moreover, Khemka should realise DLF’s total book size? The black money generated and managed at DLF must be a very large sum.
7. Collaboration Agreement of Skylight & DLF was not registered causing loss of stamp duty & DTCP officials connived by entertaining DLF Officials over CLU License – There are hundreds of such documents that private parties execute. These are interim documents executed before the final document. This fact is evident in clause 8(e) of Collaboration Agreement as reproduced on page 60 of Khemka’s response.
The builder buyer agreement was agreed upon as the final guiding document for the venture and was to be executed after approval of Building plans. The stamp duty would be paid and relationship sealed at that stage. And Khemka is missing the point that DTCP staff may have been entertaining DLF staff for CLU Licence on the basis of the power of attorney issued by Skylight Hospitality in favour of DLF staff, Devinder Singh and not Collaboration Agreement.
This point is amply clear from his own submission as noted in the next accusation.
8. Power of Attorney in favour of DLF Staff Devinder Singh – If DLF Retail and Skylight Hospitality were ready to collaborate with DLF Retail as the developer, and CLU License after LoI as its responsibility, the land owner has to give power of attorney to the developer or its appointee. This is simply for the ease of operations in a seamless manner. In Mumbai, when a society executes a redevelopment agreement, it also executes power of attorney in favour of the developer for a wide range of items including dealing with Municipality and other concerned Government bodies. Society is the land owner here. There is no cause of concern here.
9. Questions issuance of CLU License to Skylight Hospitality in spite of possession of land with DLF Retail – while the legwork for permission is done by the developer, we should remember, it is doing so on the basis of power of attorney obtained from the land owner. Plan of Action for specific task doesn’t mean change of land ownership. The official communication is always addressed to the owner. This is due process.
10. Equating Collaboration Agreement as sale deed – Khemka contradicts his own sequence of events. Not only that, he is ascribing a completely unrelated scope to a document that he has himself reproduced in fair detail in his response.
Collaboration Agreement clearly mentions 50 per cent stake to DLF and Skylight each. The deal seems valued at Rs 40 crore and therefore, Rs 20 cr is paid to Skylight Hospitality. Rs five crore is only paid as a refundable, non-Interest Bearing Security Deposit, which is to be refunded once 50 per cent built-up area committed to Skylight Hospitality is handed over. Refundable deposits are always non-interest bearing. We don’t need to go far. When people take a house on rent, they pay security deposit to their landlord. Do they charge interest for this security deposit?
No. Its similar.
11. DLF has considerable clout in DTCP to obtain CLU License or get renewal – What is unsual about this? The size of business operation that DLF has in Haryana and the amount of time they have been running these business operations (since 1963 at least), their staff and owners must have been dealing with DTCP staff for years, would have considerable organisational experience in obtaining CLU licenses. And why should it not have such an expertise or relationship (clout) with DTCP staff with whom they must be dealing on a daily basis? It is quite in line with managerial abilities, even shareholders expect from DLF & its staff. Why should we be alarmed about such a point?
12. Questions ‘permission’ to transfer Commercial Use of Land to DLF Universal – Khemka should realise that the land use permission is on the land not the land owner. DTCP has to communicate to someone, and that someone is owner of the land. It is only for this reason that it is addressed to land owner. Nor is CLU issued on the basis of land owner’s ability to execute a project as per CLU obtained. We are not dealing here with a master planner concept, like we have in, let us say, Dubai, where Emaar as a very large land owner cuts plots and sells to prospective buyer, with certain conditions on nature of development of land and the timelines within which a developer may complete a project.
To illustrate this more clearly, if a land has residential use on it, if it was to the owner alone, will it be transferred to any other land, the owner would come to use? Or if the owner sells the land to someone else, does the new owner have to obtain new permission? No. Another example, in case of CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) reservations, it doesn’t change with the change in ownership. These are very basic and fundamental issues within real estate.
I don’t know why this has even become an issue worth dwelling on for Khemka.
13. Sale Deed between Skylight Hospitality & DLF Universal Ltd doesn’t detail Collaboration Agreement between Skylight Hospitality & DLF Retail Developers Ltd. – Why was this required? DLF Retail is essentially a separate entity from DLF Universal. In the recitals, it is the parties’ choice to decide how much details they provide. As long as stamp duty in DLF Universal- Skylight Hospitality deed was paid properly, why should Khemka have any objections?
14. Benefits to Onkareshwar Properties due to deal with Robert Vadra’s company – complete conjecture. Especially when you look at relationship of those who own and run Onkareshwar Properties. They are associates and relatives of the Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The Group Housing License issued by DTCP is not something that any other Developer cannot obtain, least of all someone who is personally well-known to CM of the State. Khemka is making too much out of obtaining CLU Licenses.
Then what should we focus on in this deal that has been brought to light by Khemka? He has done a courageous job by pointing out to this issue. He may not be hitting the nail in his accusations, but with limited details available, alternative starting points and key areas of concern can be pointed out by various people.
Here is a list of what I think are key areas of concern for us:
When & how did Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd come to own this parcel of land? What is the evolution of title? The owners and directors of the company are close to Hooda. Did the land belong previously to Panchayat, Government and private farmers? Was it purchased through coercion? What was the sale consideration when Onkareshwar Properties purchased the property? What was the source of their funds? If the owners and directors of Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd are such close associates and relatives of Hooda, and have shown considerable comfort and trust with Robert Vadra, is there any role played by him? Is there a chance of Onkareshwar Properties being a ‘benaami’ company of Bhupinder Singh Hooda? Is Onkareshwar Properties running its operations from funds that may have been generated from corruption in Haryana?
As per my personal knowledge, the open market price of land in Shikohpur in 2008, where the land under discussion was situated, was quoted anywhere between Rs 5cr/acre and Rs 10cr/acre, depending on various influencing aspects. So, ideally, this land of 3.53 acres should have been valued at anywhere between Rs 17.5cr to Rs 35cr. Why did Onkareshwar sell it so cheap at Rs 7.5 crore then? Was there any kind of coercion involved?
Or, was there some cash transaction in this deal? Or was there any transfer of funds to any foreign accounts using foreign bank accounts of the buyer and seller? The matter must be referred to Income Tax Department & Enforcement Directorate. This could be a valid area of concern. There is no great value added by commercial use of land license. DLF by itself is fully capable of obtaining such permission. Robert Vadra added nothing new or rare value to this land with this permission. The only thing that stands out here is that LoI for CLU was obtained within 18 days of Application. It usually takes five to six months for an average applicant. Robert Vadra with his relationships and resulting influence only hastened this LoI. Land was also finally sold in September 2012, after four to five years of its purchase. I am not unduly worried about appreciation in sale price. DLF is not an organisation that could come under pressure or be coerced to pay unduly high price.
Need for Judicial Investigation
The only logical way this matter can be understood in detail is through a Judicial Investigations. Such white collared scams are very intelligently executed and require every possible detail to understand Modus Operandi and with the knowledge of that frame correct charges and ensure those guilty are punished.
This is as far as I could decipher from the available details in the response document by Ashok Khemka. This is a collaborative effort. If someone else has knowledge of additional angles, it will be good if they can shed light.
http://www.niticentral.com/2013/10/24/damad-420-robert-vadras-land-deals-part-2-149763.html
Lawyer files Public Interest Litigation Against Robert Vadra
BySaptarishi Dutta
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- Priyanka Gandhi, right, daughter of Congress party President Sonia Gandhi (not pictured) and her husband Robert Vadra, left, arrive at a polling station to cast their votes in New Delhi, India, 10 April 2014.
- -European Pressphoto Agency
A lawyer has petitioned the Delhi High Court to look into how Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, amassed a vast real-estate portfolio.
On Friday The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Vadra has sold property worth $12 million and purchased real estate worth $42 million since getting his start in property investing in 2008 with a few thousand dollars. Some of the properties are in areas where land values rose because of government solar-energy policies.
A spokesman For Mr. Vadra said he denies any wrongdoing. “He has acquired and disposed of real estate in exercise of his rights and has obtained no favor or benefit from anyone,” the spokesman said.
The lawyer who filed the public-interest litigation, Manohar Lal Sharma, said he did so on Saturday and expects the court to hear the case on Wednesday. Mr. Sharma said his goal with bringing the litigation is to send a message that powerful individuals should be held accountable like everyone else. “If a common man does anything wrong, you punish him, fire him from his job and send him to jail,” he said.
Mr. Sharma rose to national prominence in 2013 when he briefly represented two of the accused in the rape and murder of a young woman on a New Delhi bus.
Follow Saptarishi and India Real Time on Twitter @saptarishidutta and @WSJIndia.
- @minhazmerchant From Nehru's "I might sell Anand Bhavan, but not NationalHerald" to the grab of NationalHerald. What a fall.
- Its not just Priyanka Vadra's husband - Sonia and Rahul broke laws, abused power to acquire NationalHerald land. http://www.firstpost.com/politics/how-congress-damns-itself-in-national-herald-land-grab-case-513251.html …
- Sanity at last !!!! - Government to ban all legal highs within two weeks - National - NZ Herald News http://nzh.tw/11245159 via @nzherald
- Vadra land deals small change compared to Rs 5,000-cr NationalHerald building takeover by Rahul/Sonia. MSM silent
Kaushik R 
Rajeev Mantri 
Jacueline Burton 
Minhaz Merchant See: http://www.firstpost.com/politics/how-congress-damns-itself-in-national-herald-land-grab-case-513251.htmlHow Congress damns itself in National Herald land-grab case
![After Priyanka Gandhi's jibe at Narendra Modi over '56-inch' chest remark, BJP stepped up attack on Robert Vadra]()
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After Priyanka’s jibe on Modi, BJP releases video targeting Robert Vadra over land deals
Cong talks about ‘big heart’…Whose ‘big heart’ helped Robert Vadra to establish his empire? questioned BJP.
Barely hours after Priyanka Gandhi took a dig at Narendra Modi over his ’56-inch chest’ remark, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday stepped up its attack onRobert Vadra and Gandhi family.
The BJP released a video showing the alleged Vadra-Gandhi family scams during a press conference held at BJP headquarters. The saffron party also released a booklet titled ‘Damad Shree’ on land deals by Robert Vadra
Talking to the media persons, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “so far no serious attempt was made by the Congress to defend Robert Vadra…We are not targeting a family, this relates to corruption.”
The BJP leader went on to add: “Want to ask Priyanka, Sonia and Rahul Gandhiabout Vadra’s model of development’.
“Congress talks about ‘big heart’…Whose ‘big heart’ helped Robert Vadra to establish his empire?” questioned BJP.
Releasing the booklet ‘Damad Shree’, Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “There was gross violation of laws relating to land and environment. Robert Vadra after Haryana went straight to Rajasthan. Previous Congress government of Rajasthan helped him by violating laws.”
“The two governments of Haryana and Rajasthan bent rules and favoured Robert Vadra in acquiring land,” alleged Prasad.
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The BJP’s sharpest attack on Gandhi family came on the day when Priyanka took a dig at Narendra Modi, saying a 56-inch chest is not needed to run the country but a “big heart” and “moral strength”.
“A 56-inch chest is not needed to run this country, a big heart is needed to run it. To run this country cruel force of power is not needed, but moral strength is needed. It needs an internal strength,” Priyanka said while addressing a meeting in Rae Bareli.
Damaad Shree : A documentary on Robert Vadra land scam
Published on Apr 27, 2014
ज़मीन का कारोबारी या गुनेहगार। The BJP on Sunday released a video targeting
Robert Vadra for his land deals in Haryana and
Rajasthan under the Congress-ruled governments.
The video named Damad Shree accused the Haryana
and Rajasthan governments of colluding with
Robert Vadra to help him acquire lands
fraudulently.
LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI, April 28, 2014
Explain Vadra’s quick-rise model: BJP
- ANITA JOSHUA
Priyanka says she will not keep quiet against ‘negative politics’
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday asked Congress president Sonia Gandhito explain how her son-in-law, Robert Vadra, managed to amass Rs. 300 crore with an investment of just Rs. 1 lakh, even during the economic slowdown.
Calling it the “Vadra get-rich-quick model,” senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the party had several questions on the land deals struck by Mr. Vadra in collusion with the Congress governments of Haryana and Rajasthan.
The BJP released a booklet and a short film in which it raises allegations on the land deals and takes a fleeting dig at “political dynasties” of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Samajwadi Party. The film is a dramatised version of the allegations in the booklet.
Mr. Prasad said Ms. Gandhi and her son, Rahul Gandhi, should reply to the questions as without their patronage, Mr. Vadra would not have been able to buy and sell land the way he did.
Asked why the BJP had not filed any case against Mr. Vadra in Rajasthan, now that the party is in power in the State, Mr. Prasad said: “Nothing shall be done with vendetta. This is not a witch-hunt. Inquiry is on, the law will take its own course.”
Hitting back at the BJP, Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra, daughter of Ms. Gandhi, said the party was “scrambling like rats” in the election season.
“They are scared and acting like baffled rats. I know that just a few days before elections, they will say all sorts of lies. There is nothing new in it. They can conduct any smear campaign they want. LetNarendra Modi say anything, I will not keep quiet,” Ms. Vadra said in Rae Bareli where she is campaigning for her mother.
Stressing that she would not keep quiet against “disastrous, negative and shameful politics,” Ms. Vadra said she was “not scared of them [BJP] or anyone.” She would defend her husband as she knew that during election time, the BJP “would resort to spreading lies.”
Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala said the BJP was panicking as Ms. Vadra had been campaigning in Rae Bareli and Amethi.
“In this frustration and desperation, they [BJP] have lost their balance and have hatched a conspiracy through the BJP’s ‘dirty tricks department’ to level false, motivated, misconceived and mischievousallegations against Robert Vadra and the Gandhi family. Even this cheap political stunt by the BJP is not sufficient to save the sinking ship of Narendra Modi,” he said.
