Four Congress MLAs, including former Haryana CM Bhupinder Hooda, face investigations by the ED and CBI in various cases. The Congress claims that the BJP is unleashing agencies because it anticipates a certain defeat in the upcoming assembly poll. A report by Pawan Kumar Bansal
Deepender Singh Hooda, MP, and son of Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has started the campaign “Congress mange Hisaab” in the state. The Congress is seeking the BJP government’s account of various acts, of omissions and commissions of its nine and half years rule in Haryana. Responding to this campaign, Union Home Minister Amit Shah thundered at a rally organised by the OBC cell of the party in the premises of Central University, Pali, in Mohindergarh. “Who are they to ask for Hisaab? I am the son of Bania and will seek Hisaab from them. It is a mere coincidence that two days after this, the Enforcement Directorate teams conducted raids at several places owned by Congress MLA from Mohindergarh constituency, Rao Daan Singh and his family members alleging ‘misuse of bank loan’. This was followed by the arrest of Sonipat Congress MLA Surinder Panwar and his son by ED in an illegal mining scam. Both Daan Singh and Surinder Panwar are confidants of Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, Daan Singh was given a party ticket from Bhiwani-Mohindergarh Lok Sabha constituency on recommendation of Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Shruti Chaudhary, former MP and granddaughter of former Chief Minister Bansi Lal and daughter of former Haryana Minister Kiran Chaudhry, was also claimant to the ticket. But Hooda ensured it was given to Daan Singh, forcing Kiran Chaudhry and her daughter Shruti Chaudhary to quit the party and join the BJP.
Questioning the timing of arrests and raids by ED, Deepender Hooda while daring the BJP government said that they will not be pressurised by such tactics and continue their programme of seeking account of various acts of omissions and commissions of the BJP government.
Political analyst Devinder Singh Surjewala said that people of Haryana have made up their mind to defeat the BJP in the coming assembly elections. The BJP, out of fear, is playing and applying all methods and tactics to defame the main opposition party, the Congress. On the other hand Haryana CM, Naib Saini, while reacting to raids and arrest of Congress MLA Surinder Panwar by ED, said that wrong-doers will have to face music adding that ED is an independent agency which decides its course of action itself. Saini asked Deepender Hooda to give account of various actions during his father’s “ten years” rule in Haryana as CM. Saini alleged that corruption in recruitments was rampant during ten years of Congress rule.
Congress MLA from Samalkha assembly constituency, Dharam Chokar, and his family members are already facing investigation by ED in Mahira Homes affordable housing society scheme, Gurugram. About 5000 middle-class flat buyers who have invested their lives’ savings in quest for flats are running from pillar to post for justice for the last five years. Interestingly, the Haryana BJP government is also being accused of shielding Dharma Chokar and his family members. Kamal Bhardwaj, the spokesman of flat-buyers confederation, alleged that the Haryana Government has restored their licence which was suspended amid allegations of submission of forged documents while applying for licence.
Dilbag Singh, the former INLD MLA and close relative of INLD leader Abhay Chautala, was arrested by ED in an illegal mining case and is currently on bail. Bhupinder Singh Hooda too is on bail from CBI Court, Panchkula, in what is known as Manesar Land Scam in which farmers were forced to sell their ancestral agricultural land to builders under threat of acquisitions under land acquisition Act.
Besides Hooda, half a dozen retired IAS officers, close to Hooda, are also on bail. Apart from Manesar Land Scam, Hooda is also facing court cases in about half a dozen matters including allotment of industrial plots etc. Recently, he was summoned by the ED. Hooda has also dubbed the cases as ‘political vendetta’.
Highly placed sources told Tehelka that in coming days more Congress leaders will face heat from central investigating agencies as BJP has nothing to show to the voters about its achievements and since it is assembly elections, the Modi factor will not work. Local issues will be more important and certainly affect the election results. It may be mentioned that oppressive ED, CBI had failed to get BJP favourable results in UP Karnataka Jharkhand Maharashtra
