No need for probe into Priyanka land: Virbhadra

With senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar raising the issue of Priyanka Vadra's property in the state, former Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh on Tuesday defended the then Congress government's decision to allow the Vadras to buy the land and categorically stated that there was no need for a probe into the issue. "It's an unnecessary controversy. Virbhadra told The Indian Express here.

It was during Virbhadra's tenure as chief minister that the state government granted relaxations under section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, allowing Priyanka to buy 3.50 bighas of land near The Retreat — the President's official retreat at Chhrabra, 13 kms from Shimla. Land in Himachal Pradesh cannot be bought by non-residents under the state's laws but the state government is empowered to grant the relaxations.

Meanwhile, PCC vice-president Harsh Mahajan on Tuesday demanded a probe into the land deal involving Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan. The lawyer's Kumud Bhushan Educational Society was granted permission to buy a 4.66 hectare tea estate at Palampur in Kangra in 2010 by the BJP government. "We want an independent inquiry into the land transferred to Prashant Bhushan," Mahajan demanded.

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