LIT reserve price row: Congress alleges ‘2016 land allotment scam’

The market value of the land whee the BJP’s Model Town Extension office stands is around ₹50,000 per square yard, but the land was allotted for merely ₹4375 per sq yard, the Congress has alleged

In a counter attack on the Bhartiya Janata Party, Congress leaders on Friday alleged that the saffron party had bought 1,000 square yards for its office in Model Town Extension for merely ₹4,375 per square yard during the tenure of the SAD-BJP government in 2016.

The BJP refuted the Congress’ allegations saying that the LIT land was allotted as per the rules. (Representative Image/HT File)

Seeking a probe, former councillor and officer on special duty to the mayor, Parminder Mehta, said BJP leader Subhash Verma had been the chairman of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust at the time when the land was allotted to the BJP at concessional rates.

“The market value of the land is around ₹50,000 per square yard, but the land was allotted for merely ₹4375 per sq yard.”

“The land recently auctioned by the LIT in Model Town extension has been sold for over ₹56,000 per square yard. The BJP’s allegations are baseless. When the BJP bought the land at a throwaway price, was the BJP not concerned about the loss to the public exchequer? Will the BJP seek cancellation of the allotted land now?” he asked.

“If the allotment was not done as per norms, then why no action has been taken against it till now? The land was allotted at concessional rates as it was allotted for establishing the office of a political party, not a commercial establishment. Even the Congress was offered the land, but they refused to take it at the time,” said Singal.