Whistleblower IAS officer Ashok Khemka has hit out at the Manohar Lal Khattar Government in Haryana for granting a high post to a controversial officer who was a member of the committee which had given a clean-chit to the controversial DLF-Vadra land deal in 2013.
The 1991- batch Haryana cadre IAS, Khemka, who had cancelled the mutation of the land deal citing irregularities, in his tweet, has asked why the State Government has rewarded the officer instead of taking an action against him.
Khemka was referring to the appointment of retired IAS officer Rajan Gupta as chairperson of Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), Panchkula.
Khemka, who has faced over 50 transfers during his career, took to Twitter expressing displeasure over the new appointment and said, “An officer, who was member of committee that gave clean chit to VADRA-DLF land-licensing deal in 2012, is now rewarded with the lucrative post of real estate regulator. Instead of being hauled up, some continue to make hay. What could be the secret mantra of their 'successes'?”
Notably, Ashok Khemka had hit the national headlines in 2012 when he had cancelled the mutation of the Rs 58-crore land deal between Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and realty giant DLF and ordered a probe into controversial land deals in Haryana.
Later, a three-member committee comprising Rajan Gupta had given clean chit to the land deal by company owned by Robert Vadra.
It is not the first time that Ashok Khemka has lashed out at his own Government. In the past also, the IAS officer had slammed the State Government on the issues including his promotion, transfers, failure to handle dera violence issue among others.
A day before, Haryana Government had appointed Additional Chief Secretary KK Khandelwal and retired IAS officer Rajan Gupta as the chairpersons of Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) for Gurugram and Panchkula respectively.
The tenure of the chairperson will be of five years or till one achieves the age of 65 years.
Khemka is not the only one who has objected to the appointments. Earlier, leader of opposition in Haryana and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala had also written to the Chief Minister Manohar Lal raising objection to the candidature of Rajan Gupta.
The INLD leader had asked the Chief Minister not to consider those retired bureaucrats for appointment in the HRERA who were connected to conroversial land deals in the state. Chautala had pointed out that a committee comprising Rajan Gupta had given clean chit to Robert Vadra in the land deal
The controversial land deal had become a major election issue in 2014 with the BJP making tall claims to punish those involved in the wrongdoings.
Amid the controversy over the appointments in RERA, senior Minister Anil Vij while talking to the mediapersons on Monday said that the Chief Minister had received the recommendations from a search committee and he had appointed the officer from the shortlisted candidates for RERA.
The search committee should have been careful and not shortlisted such people, Vij added.