Ajay Maken accused of allocating land worth 1000 crores for only 6 crores

Ajay Maken accused of allocating land worth 1000 crores for only 6 crores When a politician, in the middle of an election campaign, turns to tame legal notices as a recourse instead of taking up the challenge of a public debate, what are we to think? Mr Ajay Maken, the Congress candidate for the New Delhi constituency, has done exactly this. We can safely infer that Mr Maken has got cold feet. He cannot face the people’s scrutiny.

On Kathputli Colony, Shadipur Depot, and the allotment of land to Raheja Builders, I made a public statement on March 26, 2014. I challenged Mr Maken to a public debate on the issue; evidently he is unwilling to face that prospect. He has run to a lawyer to issue me a legal notice.

My most serious charge was that official documents show allocation of land worth a Rs 1000 odd crore to a builder for a mere Rs 6 crore. On this Mr Maken and his lawyer say nothing. The burden of the eight-page legal notice is merely this “that in September 2009, when the contract was signed, Mr Maken was not Minister of State for Urban Development. I have already said so. But what does that matter?

What, I said then, I again repeat. The proposal, the terms and the choice of builder was approved during Ajay Maken’s tenure. It was merely the final step of signing the contract that was done three months later. Neither Mr Maken nor his lawyer question this fact.

In any event, as MP and a representative of the people of Kathputli Colony, what was Mr Maken’s stand on the matter? Will he tell us at least now?

I am in the midst of an election campaign, and I lay my charges out in the open. Equally, my reply to questions will be in the public domain.

This statement I send to Mr Maken’s address, at the same time as I release it into the public domain. With the copy sent to Mr. Maken I enclose a copy of an article from the newspaper DNA, which accurately reproduces what I said on 26/3/2014.