Jaipur:
The BJP has accused Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal of allegedly grabbing land worth crores in Rajasthan. The party has also alleged that as a minister in the previous Gehlot government in the state, Ms Beniwal misused her position for her benefit.
The BJP raised the issue in Parliament yesterday. As soon as the Rajya Sabha convened for the day, party MP Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi demanded suspension of the Question Hour to discuss the matter. When Chairman Hamid Ansari did not allow this, BJP members raised slogans and alleged that the central government wanted to avoid the issue. Amid the din, the Chairman first adjourned the House for 15 minutes, and then till noon.
Ms Beniwal, 85, was born in Gorir village in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. At the age of 27 in 1954, she became the first woman minister in the state. She then went on to hold many important portfolios in various Congress governments in Rajasthan, including that of Home, Education and Agriculture. In 1962, Ms Beniwal became the Deputy Chief Minister of the state. She was the Revenue Minister in Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's first government.
The BJP alleges that a co-operative society that Ms Beniwal is a member of was "gifted" developed land in Jaipur by the Gehlot government for farming. Though the government acquired that land from the society in 1990, the BJP claims, it gave the society members huge compensation in the form of commercial and residential plots.
The party has also alleged that to get that compensation from the government, Ms Beniwal and other members of the society - including former minister Kumbha Ram Arya - claimed that they worked as a farm labourers on the land for 14 hours a day.
The BJP says it is hard to believe that even while they were ministers in the state, they worked as farm labourers for 14 hours a day. "How can the members of this co-operative society claim they have been working here for the past 58 years for 14 to 16 hours each day and so they deserve the plots as compensation," asked BJP's National Secretary Kirit Somaiya.
According to sources, Ms Beniwal's co-operative society was given 209 plots for Rs 12 lakhs each as compensation while their market value was Rs 3 crore each. The land is now valued at over Rs 700 crore.
When the land was handed out to the society, the Deputy Registrar of Societies reportedly objected to it. But despite his objection, the Jaipur Development Authority allotted them these commercially valuable plots.
The Rajasthan unit of the Congress has denied the land grab charges. They claim that the plots in question were given to the society by the Vasundhara Raje government.
"The compensation was given to them at the time of the Vasundhara government. The BJP has no idea what its talking about," said Prasadi Lal Meena, the Minister for Co-operatives in the state.
This is not the first time that the BJP has hit out at Ms Beniwal. In October last year, party MPs from Gujarat, led by senior leader LK Advani, protested outside Parliament and demanded her removal. They alleged that she "bypassed established norms" in appointing retired High Court judge RA Mehta as the state's Lokayukta without the consent of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.