MLA Sushil Rinku at the demolition site in Jalandhar on Friday. (Express photo)
Five days after Congress’s Jalandhar (West) MLA, Sushil Rinku, climbed a JCB earthmover to stop the demolition drive at an illegal colony, two BJP leaders presented before the press purported sale deeds of two plots — one commercial and one residential – in the name of his wife at the same illegal colony located near Babu Jagjiwan Ram Road. They also claimed that according to another ‘mutation of a land’ record, around two acres was registered in the name of Rinku, his mother and three sisters, alleging that an illegal colony was being carved out at the said land.
The documents were produced at a press conference on Wednesday evening by BJP’s state social media head Amit Taneja and its SC Morcha leader Sheetal Angural. When contacted, Rinku said that if he had done anything illegal then he would be answerable to the department concerned, and not to BJP leaders.
Taneja and Angural, however, said that the two sale deeds, registered on May 17, 2018, showed Sunita Rinku, a councillor, as buyer. They said it was mentioned in the sale deed that no financial transaction was made before the sub-registrar and money had already been paid before hand.
According to the sale deeds produced by the BJP leaders, a plot measuring one marla and 193 sq ft was commercial land priced at Rs 4.70 lakh, whereas the other plot was residential property measuring four marla and 92 sq ft and priced at Rs 3.60 lakh. BJP leaders alleged that the property was also under-valued.
They also pointed that as per the government rules any transaction above Rs 2 lakh should be made through bank cheques or draft, but in this case all money was paid in cash.
According to the copy of mutation of another land measuring around three and half acres at the place known as Dussehra Ground, BJP leaders said that mutation of two acres land out of three and half acres was entered in the name of Rinku, his mother and three sisters on January 30, 2018.
“Now a colony is being carved out there also after opening four new passages to well-developed colonies,” said Taneja, adding that it was possible that Rinku and his family had sold off their share. They said that this piece of land was under litigation for over two decades.
“Where were those poor people that Rinku was wanting to protect on the day of his protest,” questioned the BJP leaders.
Also on Wednesday, Rinku did not attend a meeting called in Chandigarh by Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu to discuss the issue of demolitions. At the meeting, 15 days time has been given to the corporation to set the things right.
On June 14, Sidhu had visited over three dozen illegal buildings and colonies in Jalandhar and suspended officials of Jalandhar Municipal Corporation (JMC) after his spot inspection. On June 15, a demolition drive was launched by JMC Officials on the orders of Sidhu. It was halted on June 18 after protests from Rinku, the local MP and two other MLAs from Jalandhar city.