File photo of Robert Vadra

As the Congress prepares for an onslaught by the opposition over a report that links party president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law to "sham deals" in Haryana, one of its own leaders has said that an inquiry into illicit land deals in the state must be conducted.Rao Inderjit Singh, a member of the Lok Sabha from Gurgaon, has said that a detailed inquiry must be conducted to "substantiate or refute" the charges against Mr Vadra, an entrepreneur whose business deals with real estate major DLF have been questioned by IAS officer Ashok Khemka. Mr Vadra has been married to Mrs Gandhi's daughter, Priyanka, since 1997.Mr Singh said that Mr Vadra's land dealing should be part of a larger investigation into alleged irregular practices in the government's appropriation and sale of nearly 1200 acres.In April, Mr Khemka was transferred from his post in Haryana amid his attempt to cancel a land deal involving Mr Vadra.He said that a 3.5-acre plot sold by Mr Vadra to DLF had been transacted in violation of all guidelines and that a license for the land to be used for a commercial project had been endowed to Mr Vadra to allow him windfall gains.

In a report submitted to the government where he was asked to justify his conclusions, Mr Khemka has detailed why he believes the 58-crore sale was venal.The Haryana government has repeatedly said that Mr Vadra received no preferential treatment.