JALANDHAR: Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief and former Haryana CM Om Parkash Chautala on Wednesday alleged that Robert Vadra as well as Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi bought land in Haryana at prices much below market rates and evaded stamp duty by undervaluing the sales.

Demanding a judicial probe, Chautala alleged the state government was hand-in-glove with Gandhi and Vadra and helped them seal land deals. Chautala alleged Vadra purchased a total 74 acres for around Rs 1.64 crore in eight land deals, Rahul bought 6.5 acres — all in Palwal district — in 2008 and 2009.

Producing what he claimed were copies of sale deeds in favour of Rahul Gandhi and Vadra at a press conference, Chautala alleged Rahul purchased 51 kanal 13 marla (around 6.5 acres) land at Mauja Hassanpur village in Palwal from one HL Pahwa, a resident of DLF Gurgaon, on March 3, 2008 for Rs 26.47 lakh and on the sale deed collector rate was mentioned as Rs 1.5 lakh per acre.

Congress debunked the charges made by Chautala as baseless and defamatory. A party statement said Rahul purchased 6456 acres in Palwal for Rs 26.47 lakh in 2008. It said the prevailing collector rate for land was Rs 1.50 lakh per acre and Rahul had paid Rs 4,10,006 per acre. He paid 6% stamp duty amounting to Rs 1,58,820.

However, Chautala alleged that at that time the market price was around Rs 30-35 lakh and the collector rate was Rs 6 lakh per acre.

"The present market value of the land is around Rs 40-45 lakh per acre," Chautala alleged, adding that Rahul paid less stamp duty with the help of revenue officials.

He said Lalit Nagar, who contested the last Haryana election on Congress ticket from a constituency of in Palwal district but lost, is witness to the registration of sale deed.

Producing copy of another purported sale deed, Chautala alleged that in the same village Vadra also purchased 72 kanal (around 9 acres) at the same price from the same person on the same day in the presence of same witness – Lalit Nagar.

Chautala further alleged that Vadra also purchased land from dalits which they were allotted in 1981 after consolidation and, according to law, this land could be transferred only to a dalit.

"In Mauja Hassanpur village Vadra's companies purchased around 30 acres of land from dalit families, which was legally wrong, as the land allotted to dalits after land consolidation in 1981 could be transferred only to a dalit," Chautala alleged.

He further alleged that in the same village Vadra's companies purchased around 74 acres of land. Out of total eight land deals executed in 2008 and 2009 in the village, in seven cases land prices were shown to be paid at Rs 2 lakh per acre or even less, Chautala alleged, adding that while the collector rate was much higher at Rs 8 lakh per acre.