For Robert Vadra's Land Deal, Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Summoned

New Delhi: Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who was Chief Minister when Robert Vadra bought land in Haryana that he later sold for windfall gain, has been summoned by a former judge investigating alleged illicit deals in the state when the Congress was in power.

Mr Vadra, 46, is the son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, one of the most powerful politicians in the country. Mrs Gandhi, her daughter Priyanka, and Mr Vadra have denied any wrongdoing.

Mr Hooda said today, "This is a politically motivated move. Everyone knows who the main target is. Who appoints a panel to investigate a land deal in small village?" However, he said he will comply with the order to appear for questioning on Monday.

Justice SN Dhingra was asked last year by the new BJP government in Haryana to look at whether Mr Vadra and other real estate developers were given land at cheap prices to allow them huge margins of profit. In Mr Vadra's case, rules were circumvented to allow the land to be developed for commercial use, Ashok Khemka, a top bureaucrat, has alleged.

A report by the state auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General or CAG, presented last year, appeared to agree with his allegations about the three acres in Gurgaon that was bought by Mr Vadra's firm in 2008 for seven crores and then sold to real estate major DLF just months later for 58 crores.

Mr Khemka had cancelled the deal, but his decision was over-ruled by the government of Mr Hooda.

When the BJP won the Haryana election in 2014, Chief Minister ML Khattar pledged that all controversial land deals including Mr Vadra's would be thoroughly scrutinized. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his campaign for the general election had alleged the Gandhis used their considerable influence to benefit Mr Vadra's business; he said anyone guilty would be punished, but said "political vendetta" would not be allowed.