Parliament disrupted over Vadra’s land deals

New Delhi : Both houses of parliament were Tuesday rocked over allegations of illegality in Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra’s land deals in Haryana, leading to proceedings being disrupted.

While the Congress played down the issue, the government slammed Haryana IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who probed the land deals, for his “administrative overreach” and said the matter could not be debated in parliament as it was “a state issue” and urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) not to disrupt the house over the matter.

“I don’t think when you exercise quasi-judicial authority, you are supposed to call off the principles of natural justice,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said outside Parliament House.

Parliament Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said parliament cannot discuss the purportedly illegal land deals of Vadra as it is a “state issue”.

“It is a state issue and parliament does not discuss state issues … if they (opposition) want to discuss, then Congress members will demand a debate on the mining scam in Karnataka and mining mafia in Madhya Pradesh. We must discuss issues of Gujarat,” Kamal Nath told Times Now channel here.

The allegations forced repeated adjournments of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha which saw the BJP raise slogans like “Congress ka hath, damad ke sath (Congress’ hand with the son-in-law) referring to Vadra.

BJP members even called Vadra a “thief”.

“He is a thief, so what if he is a son-in-law,” BJP members shouted.

The party also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored special investigation team (SIT) probe into the alleged land deals.

BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said that the central government should take stern steps as the land scam took place in the national capital region (NCR) and also comes under the purview of the income tax department.

“It is not just Haryana, in all of NCR and all Congress ruled states, Vadra has indulged in land grabbing in collusion with the government and administration. When Khemka tried to interfere, we all saw what happened to him,” Sinha said.

The Congress played down the issue saying it was a state subject and anybody could approach the Haryana government over the alleged land deals.

“It is a state subject. Anybody can approach the state government. We have nothing to do with it,” Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit told reporters.

In the Rajya Sabha, no business could be transacted in the pre-lunch session as BJP members demanded a discussion on the issue.

As soon as the house met 11 a.m., they demanded a discussion on Khemka’s allegations in land deals involving Vadra.

BJP’s Prakash Javadekar had served notice demanding suspension of question hour in the house.

Rajya Sabha Chairperson Hamid Ansari’s repeated requests for maintaining order fell on deaf ears as BJP members continued their protests.

“Every single rule, every single etiquette is being violated. If the honourable members want this to become a federation of anarchists, then it’s a different thing,” said Ansari, who then adjourned the house till noon.

When the house met at noon, Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley asked Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien to expunge Ansari’s comments from the records.

While BJP raised slogans attacking Congress and Vadra, Congress members shouted counter slogans.

Both houses of parliament were repeatedly disrupted over the communal clashes in the Jammu region also, and the Telangana issue.