Haryana Assembly Poll 2024: Deny tickets to CLU scam accused, BJP, Congress urged

A decade-old case of CLU (change of land use) scam involving six former MLAs who were allegedly exposed while demanding bribe in a sting operation has returned to haunt both the BJP and the Congress after the saffron party fielded Vinod Bhayana from the Hansi Assembly constituency.

A group of farmers and activists led by Dharmender Kuhar, who carried out the sting operation, had written letters to the national presidents of the BJP and the Congress urging them not to give tickets to the tainted leaders in the Assembly elections.

Among those who faced the charges include Ram Niwas Ghorela, who was the Congress MLA from Barwala; Naresh Selwal, the then Congress MLA from Uklana (reserved); Jarnail Singh, a former MLA from Ratia (reserved), Ram Kishan Fauji from Bawani Khera (reserved); and Rao Narender, the then Health Minister and MLA from Narnaul in 2014 during the Congress government. The proceedings in the corruption case against them are at present stayed by the high court.

One of the MLAs, Vinod Bhayana, who switched over to the BJP and got the clean chit in the case has been fielded by the saffron party from Hansi Assembly segment in Hisar. However, his exoneration has been challenged in the court under Section 319 of the CrPC requesting the court to summon him in the case. Ghorela, Selwal, Fauji and Singh are aspirants for the Congress ticket.

Kohar and other activists Naveen Sharma, Jasbir Chahal, Naveen Punia, Praveen Nambardar and others said they had written BJP national chief JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to field clean faces in the elections. “These leaders were exposed on video and later the Lokayukta formed a special investigation team (SIT), which found them guilty of the charges. Subsequently, they were booked in the corruption case in the State Vigilance Bureau,” Kuhar said.

Jarnail Singh, Rao Narender, Selwal, besides Bhayana, are accused of demanding bribes for the CLU and to get the land of the Waqf Board released. However, Barwala MLA Ghorela had allegedly demanded bribe from an NGO in lieu of getting a contract for teaching the children of poor workers at brick kilns under the Sarv Siksha Abhiyan (SSA).

On the basis of sting operations at separate times, the INLD filed a complaint with the Haryana Lokayukta in 2014. The Lokayukata constituted an SIT to investigate the corruption charges against the MLAs. The SIT headed by then ADGP V Kamaraja found them prima facie guilty in the probe and recommended for the registration of an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act.