Dharamshala: Refuting all allegations about misuse of power and authority for purchasing land, minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Ms Sarveen Chaudhary on Thursday said that she had bought land to start a business under the purview of the law.
“There has been complete transparency in the land purchase deals, there is no benami in it,” said Sarveen Chaudhary
Reacting to senior leader and former minister Major Singh Mankotia’s allegations about a Himachal minister having purchased land in bulk to make money, Ms Sarveen responded by calling Mankotia ‘a grumpy, desperate and disappointed man.’
She said, “Mankotia has a very old habit of accusing others. It has been in his nature to accuse others and then turn around.” She said that Mankotia made few statements befroe the media, the other day, only to politically harm her. “I will be taking legal action against Major Mankotia,” said the minister.
About the property that the minister holds, Sarveen said that all details of property held, income and expenditures have been declared in a affidavit before the Election Commission of India. She questioned Mankotia whethere he had paid tax on the land that he bought and sold. “He should share the details about it,” she said.
Last week Major Mankotia without naming anyone had alleged that a minister of the Jairam cabinet about buying thousands of kanals of land in and around Dharamshala.
In an interaction with the media Mankotia had said that the minister and the ministers relatives had struck a deal for buing up 4000 kanals of land in and around Dharamshala, soon after the government had organised a global investor meet at Dharamshala.
Arvind Sharma is an award winning bi-lingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience.
He has worked with Divya Himachal, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhasker, Vir Partap, Ajit and PTI.
In 2010, he was conferred the Himachal Kesri journalism award. He reports on the Tibetan Government in Exile, politics, sports, tourism and other topics. He lives in Dharamshala.
