Dhingra panel running campaign of slander, vilification: Cong

New Delhi, Aug 31 (PTI) Congress today came down hard onJustice Dhingra Commission that went into the controveresialland deals of Robert Vadra, accusing it as also BJPgovernments at the Centre and Haryana of running a campaign ofslander and vilification. The party’s chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala sought totake the sting out of the report of the commission, contendingthat since it had not summoned either Vadra or former HaryanaChief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda under relevant sectionsof the Commission of Inquiry Act, adverse comments cannot bemade against them. "No one can be condemned unheard is a basic doctrine ofnatural justice. The Commission of Inquiry Act contains thisfundamental principle. The Act says no adverse finding can begiven against any person without giving an opportunity ofbeing heard," he told reporters. Holding that the party would give a detailed and studiedresponse on the report of the commission submitted to theHaryana government once it is made public, he said that theway the report has been "leaked" to the media beforehandshowed that the "sole intent is to defame". "The sole intent is to defame, conspire and malign ratherthan examine the facts fairly. This shows the malintent andsinister conspiracy of Government of Haryana, of BJP and eventhe commission itself," Surjewala said in a sharp reaction. Surjewala, who was a minister in the erstwhile BhupinderSingh Hooda government, said, "The BJP governments at theCentre and in Haryana have run a political agenda of vendettaand revenge for years." He claimed that the constitution of Justice DhingraCommission was a "mere cog" in that wheel of "maliciouswitch-hunt", propagated by BJP. Targeting the panel, he said the commission is a"still-born commission". This, he claimed, was because JusticeDhingra had "compromised" his position by accepting gift ofland and making the government spend public money on histrust. Noting that Justice Dhingra has rendered himself"ineligible" to deliver justice in the matter, he asked, "Whyshould a judge, examining licensing policy in Gurgaon, accepta gift of land for the trust free of cost from any person. "There is till date not a whisper of any wrong doing, anyviolation of the law, policy, rules or regulation," he said. Seeking to take the battle to BJP’s court, he recalledthat the Haryana government has issued a new policy whichliberally permits change in developer and transfer of jointdevelopment rights. "Should a commission of inquiry beconstituted against the Khattar government and BJP?" hewondered. (More) PTI SPGSC