Gandhinagar: Former Chief Minister Vijaybhai Rupani has issued a rebuttal regarding the allegations of his involvement in a land scam worth thousands of crores in which a Police complaint has been filed against retired IAS officer SK Langa. Langa is under probe over large-scale irregularities in connection with lands-related approvals during his term as the District Collector of Gandhinagar. A leading Gujarati newspaper had on 21st May published a news story based on an unsigned letter received allegedly from Langa in which it was claimed that Langa was just following orders of then Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel. Both Rupani and Patel have refuted the allegations. The newspaper has in its report published that Rupani as a Chief Minister appointed Langa as district collector of Gandhinagar and later also gave him a post-retirement appointment in Surat during the Covid-19 pandemic. Rupani today maintained that he himself had ordered inquiry against Langa over the allegations of corruption, based on which an FIR has been filed against him now.

Rupani in a rebuttal note today stated: The news against me regarding the Panjarapol land is completely baseless and far from the truth. On October 6, 2020, as the Chief Minister of the state, I myself had signed the complaint filed against Langa and started the investigation. A malicious attempt to defame us is being made by spreading falsehoods for self-defense.

Rupani has dared Langa to issue a letter in his own name if there is truth and asked Langa to stop trying to smear him politically by writing an anonymous letter.

Rupani has further stated that the alleged land of Panjarapol was never discussed in the High Power Committee. The meeting of the High Power Committee is called only for matters of policy and not for individual cases. Apart from me, Langa is also trying to involve former Deputy Chief Minister Nitinbhai Patel, former Revenue Minister Kaushikbhai Patel, and other high officials.

A note stated (roughly translated to English): Former Chief Minister Shri Vijay Rupani has strongly refuted the report published in Divya Bhaskar newspaper on May 21, 2023, regarding the land of Panjarapol and said that the news published about me regarding the land of Panjarapol is completely baseless and far from the truth. Based on the complaints received against Langa when he was the Collector, on 06/10/2020, I signed the complaint file against him as the Chief Minister of the State and handed over the investigation to Mr. Vinay Vyasa, a retired tax officer, and based on this, the present government of Chief Minister Mr. Bhupendrabhai Patel is probing into it. A preliminary report has been filed against Langa. Langa is making a malicious attempt to malign us politically for self-defense by spreading falsehoods over the High Power Committee’s order against him. If there is truth, I dare Langa to write it in his own name. He must stop the practice of political defamation by writing an anonymous letter. Rupani has further stated that there was never any discussion about the land of Panjarapol in the meeting of the High Power Committee. High Power Committee meetings are called for policy matters in which former Deputy Chief Minister Shri Nitinbhai Patel and other high officials are also present. Such a meeting is not called for any individual case. Therefore, the long story that Panjarapol land was discussed in the High Power Committee meeting is fabricated and completely false. Although there has never been any meeting regarding the land of Panjarapol, he (Langa) is trying childishly to get read of allegations against him by naming the former Deputy Chief Minister Nitinbhai Patel, including myself, all the high officials of the government, and the former revenue minister Kaushikbhai Patel.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress party has also raised the issue. Leader of Opposition Amit Chavda targeted Rupani over the lands-related corruption allegations as claimed in a news report.

Rupani addressing a press conference in Rajkot said that earlier Congress had also made allegations against him in regard to lands in Surat and Rajkot but as he gave a rebuttal and filed a defamation case, the Congress leaders now visit court. Rupani said while allegations have been made against then-minister Kaushik Patel, the fact is that Kaushik Patel never used his government bungalow in Gandhinagar. He was using his house in Ahmedabad. Rupani said the issue is not about Panjrapol land. The government had taken no decision over Panjrapol land. The land doesn’t belong to the government.  A file was put up before me regarding allegations against Langa and therefore probe was handed over to an honest, retired IAS officer who had deep knowledge in revenue matters. The FIR has been filed based on the inquiry that was ordered by the Rupani government itself.  Rupani said the Congress people are out to defend corrupt officials and therefore defame the government.   DeshGujarat