GURUGRAM: When the address you are looking for is the biggest house in a village of 5,000 people, it’s easy to find. The two-storey bungalow looks new, has a tree-lined driveway, and a large concrete-paved compound in which a white Scorpio is parked. You almost expect a ‘beware of dogs’ sign next, but before that, you hear the barks. The two dogs at the gate — a black Labrador and its fellow sentinel, a canine of mixed breed — don’t like trespassers.
This is where Surender Sharma lives. Everyone in Rathiwas knows him, as the son of a former sarpanch, and now “a big land owner” whose fortunes have in recent years seen an upturn, manifest in the bungalow that was built two years ago. Last Saturday, Sharma’s name became known well beyond the borders of Rathiwas when he filed a complaint against
Robert Vadra, the Congress president’s brother-in-law, and former Haryana chief minister
Bhupinder Singh Hooda for a 2008 land deal that, he alleged, had irregularities and caused a huge loss to the exchequer. Based on his complaint, an FIR was filed against Hooda and Vadra the same day.
Sharma calls himself a social worker who fights corruption but people in Rathiwas (Rajput) — on Gurugram-Nuh border — aren’t too familiar with that side of him. Here, he is variously referred to as a ‘land dealer’ and a ‘property dealer’. His father Sohan Lal Sharma is a former sarpanch, say villagers, but Sharma gained prominence in political circles after associating with local BJP heavyweights. Sohna MLA Tejpal Tanwar and state cabinet minister Rao Narbir Singh are two names that Sharma’s neighbours recall most easily. None of them wanted to be named, because “Sharma has too much influence”.
Asked later about the villagers’ claims, Singh said, “I do recognize Sharma by name and face. He came to me, wanting to be appointed as chairman of marketing board. But, I told him I cannot help him and only the party can help him get that post.” Tanwar could not be contacted for a comment.
Rohan Singh Tomar, the sarpanch of Rathiwas, says Sharma is known for a “dubious land deal”. “His father, a former sarpanch, gets Rs 5,000 as pension. Sharma built his big house a few years back. He has another house in Helimandi and mostly lives there.” Sharma’s brother got killed due to political rivalry in a clash in 2005, says another villager.
Sharma isn’t home but he receives the call on his phone and says he is in Rajasthan. “When I went to the police station on Saturday, they did not take my complaint seriously. But I was pleasantly surprised when a journalist called me in the evening and informed me an FIR has been lodged against Vadra and Hooda,” he says. “I never had any link with any BJP leader and I am a social worker who wants to expose corruption. I am a farmer and have done a course in pharmacy from BITS Pilani in 1991 and used to run a chemist shop in Helimandi which has now closed down,” he adds.
Sharma has been asked to appear before police commissioner KK Rao on Tuesday to record his statement. A senior BJP functionary, who did not wish to be named, said, “Surender Sharma has close links with Rao Narbir Singh. Earlier, he was associated with Dharamvir (former MLA from Sohna and presently BJP MP from Bhiwani-Mahendergarh). Sharma is a property dealer and has never associated with BJP or RSS in any form.”
Om Prakash Yadav, who had first raised the Manesar land scam, termed the FIR a “drama”. “I have given all the documents to Dhingra commission, which has already submitted its investigation report. This FIR is an eyewash,” he said.
Surender Sharma’s bungalow in Rathiwas village
