BJP left red-faced over ‘timing’ of Bihar land deals

The leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who had dismissed the deposit of Rs 3 crore in West Bengal BJP’s account prior to the announcement of demonetisation as a mere coincidence, would have to look for some other alibis to defend the series of land deals made by BJP’s Bihar unit prior to the Centre’s crackdown on black money. 

In a scathing attack, the ruling Janata Dal (United) has alleged that a series of land purchases made by the BJP in the state for party offices were well designed as they were tipped off about banning 500 and 1,000 rupee notes. 

Talking to Millennium Post, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, “We are not saying anything, the land papers seem to suggest that the BJP knew of the demonetisation decision. If they were not privy to this decision, why was the BJP in such a rush to complete the registry of 23 land deals between August and September?”

Kumar further alleged, “They(BJP) had paid less than the circle rates or base cost of the land in some cases, so the matter should be probed by an investigation agency.”

Commenting on the Bihar land deals by BJP, senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha said, “Some suspicious reports, such as the BJP’s West Bengal unit cashier depositing Rs 3 crore in Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes hours before the demonetisation policy was announced, had come into the public domain ever since November 8. But the report on BJP buying land was a ‘clincher’ in this regard.”

The Congress has also alleged that the Modi governed had leaked the demonetisation info to selected people, including party men. “Just before demonetisation, BJP purchased land worth several crores in Bihar and other places in country. In Bihar alone, in eight transactions, they purchased land worth Rs 3.41crore,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said. 

Rejecting the charges, BJP said that all land deals were part of its routine purchase as the party was looking for suitable plots to establish its party office in every district of the state. “We are scouting for more land, which would be procured soon after finalising the deal with land owners. 

The purchased land that everyone is talking about is not new, it was in process for several months, but its timing hit bull’s eye. These deals have nothing to deal with black money as all payments have been made through RTGS or cheque in favour of owner,” said Vinod Narayan Jham, the chief spokesperson of Bihar BJP.

“BJP president Amit Shah had instructed all party units to look for plots to construct party offices everywhere. 

Land was purchased in other states too,” he said, adding that all documents related to land purchases made by the party were in the public domain.