Time Vadra comes clean on Landgate

It remains to be seen if the latest public interest litigation (PIL), filed seeking to initiate an investigation into the alleged land scams perpetrated by the son-in-law of the first family of Indian politics, is entertained or squashed in manner reminiscent of previous instances. The PIL filed in the Delhi high court demands a court-monitored CBI probe into various land deals entered into by firms in which Robert Vadra has stakes. It wants probes into the process whereby licences were granted in order to change land use of purchased agricultural plots in Gurgaon and also land deals entered into by Slylight Hospotality Pvt Ltd and its subsidiaries in Rajasthan during the previous Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the state. Given that Robert Vadra is practically the face of real estate controversies in the country, which still lie uninterrogated ostensibly because of his family connections and political clout, it is imperative that this PIL gets its due in the judicial corridors of justice. Investigations into how Vadra has amassed realty worth Rs 324 crore (as per 2012 figures) need to be carried out, not only in the interest of transparency and accountability of the Gandhi dynasty, but also as a matter of looking into  how state-aided cronyism festers in our private sector. As the allegations stand, Vadra has shamelessly flexed its family muscle to maraud his way into buying cheaply land that the government had earmarked for agricultural purposes. He has caused grievous losses to the public exchequer for private profits. That Vadra’s personal asset rose six times in a matter of two-three years is a testimony of how laws were bent to suit certain ends.