There were irregularities in the deal and land had been allotted to the RIL at a very cheap price, they alleged. In its 20-minute meeting with the Governor, the INLD alleged that the land had been handed over to the Reliance group without following rules and regulations or adopting competitive bids. ‘‘The Governor said he will inquire into the matter. This is a very positive response from him. We are satisfied with his reply. This indeed is the biggest-ever scam in the country,’’ claimed Sampat Singh, while addressing a joint press conference later today with Ajay Chautala and Ashok Arora, state INLD president.

RIL had last month signed a deal with Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIDC) to set up a Rs 25,000-crore special economic zone in Gurgaon district, that would boast of a dedicated airport and a 2,000 megawatt captive power plant.

The RIL, besides pumping the Rs 25,000 crore into the SEZ, would seek additional investment from third parties totalling Rs 1,00,000 crore. The deal had raised a political storm in the state, with the main Opposition INLD and BJP and ruling Congress MP from Bhiwani Kuldeep Bishnoi demanding that the deal be scrapped. They had alleged foul play and claimed it had serious irregularities in it.

Sampat Singh pointed out that the HSIIDC was the first to get the permission for setting up of the SEZ for which it also procured 1,715 acres of land in Gurgaon. However this land has now been given to the Reliance Haryana SEZ project without any open bidding or tender process. Singh said that the land had been given at rates ranging between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 21 lakh whereas the market price was anywhere between Rs 6 crore and Rs 72.50 crore per acre. This would result in a massive loss to the farmers of the state who had been paid very little compensation. Sampat Singh said that it was surprising that 1,400 acres of land was being given to the Reliance group for Rs 290 crore whereas just four acres of land at nearby Manesar had recently been auctioned by the HSIIDC for a similar amount.