'Hiding behind religion': Pawan Khera slams de-notification of Army buffer zone in Ayodhya after land parcels 'bought by Adani, Ramdev'

In a dig at the Modi government, Congress senior leader Pawan Khera accused the Governor of Uttar Pradesh of "hiding behind religion and nationalism".

"Land notified as buffer zone for Army Training is first bought by Adani, Ravi Shankar & Baba Ramdev and is then de notified by the Governor," the Chairman, Media & Publicity Department of Congress, wrote in a post on X. This came as a response to a user who shared a media report claiming that "Months after Adani, Baba Ramdev and Ravi Shankar-linked entities bought land marked as buffer zone for Indian Army in Ayodhya, it is quietly de-notified by the govt., opening up the area to construction and commercial use."

The user had linked a news report from The Print that claimed that land that was a buffer zone for Army was "quietly" de-linked soon after they were bought by entities linked to Gautam Adani, Baba Ramdev, and Ravi Shankar.

In its report, the publication said that months before consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, parcels of land that were notified by the state government as Army buffer zones were bought by Homequest Infraspace, a subsidiary of the Adani Group; Vyakti Vikas Kendra (VVK) which is linked to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar; and Haryana Yog Aayog Chairman Jaideep Arya associated with Baba Ramdev.

As per The Print, all these land pockets were bought in the Majha Jamthara area which is located right next to the Army land reserved for practice where commercial activities had been prohibited for safety reasons.

However, on May 30, 2024, the state government reportedly de-notified this entire village months after these deals were made. When a land is notified, even though private individuals can possess/buy/sell them, their use is limited. In case a land is de-notified by the government, they open up for commercial construction.

“It has been decided to de-notify a total of 2,211 acres of land from Plot number 1 to 398 of Village Majha Jamthara of Ayodhya Sadar Tehsil of District Ayodhya,” The Print quoted a notification.

The publication quoted sources as saying that the land was de-notified from the perspective of “development”.

As per another official, the land had been notified several years ago, despite which many people had been living there and influential people had bought land in Majha Jamthara because it is a "prime property."

Meanwhile, a senior army official told the publication that their practice had "significantly reduced" because of the increase in the number of flights in the area.

It has also been alleged that the land is now going to be used by the government to build a temple museum in the area.