New Delhi, July 18 A fresh political storm erupted on Friday after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet against Robert Vadra, businessman and husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and brother-in-law of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in connection with an alleged money laundering case linked to a land deal in Haryana’s Shikohpur.
The Congress party, rallying behind Vadra, called the move a politically-motivated attack and expressed confidence that the truth would ultimately prevail.
Senior leader Pramod Tiwari drew parallels with past instances of political vendetta.
“History is witness — in 1977 against Indira Gandhi, in 1989 against Rajiv Gandhi, and now, the BJP is repeating the same pattern. False charges are being imposed on Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and her husband through ED and CBI. But as always, 'Satyamev Jayate — truth will prevail,'" he told IANS.
Congress MP Imran Masood also reacted and said, “This is clearly being done out of political malice. If the allegation is that someone made four times the profit on a deal, then why not investigate those who made 100 or 1,000 times? Let everything come out in the open.”
The BJP, on the other hand, remained firm on its stance. Senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad accused the Congress of land grabbing during its tenure.
“Rahul Gandhi should explain how and from where these lands were acquired. The Congress government pressured farmers and bought land unjustly,” he told IANS.
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh also claimed, “The Congress is the mother of all scams. Between 2004 and 2014, the nation lost Rs 12 lakh crore to corruption. The Gandhi family is already out on bail in the National Herald case. Now, the son-in-law was also given a free hand to loot. This is why the people of India have permanently rejected the Congress.”
Earlier in the day, LoP Gandhi, voiced strong support for Vadra, calling the ED’s chargesheet the result of a decade-long witch hunt by the ruling BJP.
Taking to social media 'X', LoP Gandhi wrote, “I stand with Robert, Priyanka, and their children as they face yet another onslaught of malicious, politically-motivated slander and harassment. I know they are brave enough to withstand this persecution with dignity. The truth will eventually prevail.”
Vadra found himself at the centre of controversy once again after the ED filed its first-ever prosecution complaint against him in the alleged land scam.
The complaint, submitted to the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), named 11 individuals and entities, including Vadra’s company Skylight Hospitality, Satyanand Yajee, Kewal Singh Virk, and Onkareshwar Properties.
According to the ED, Skylight Hospitality “fraudulently” acquired 3.53 acres of prime land in Shikohpur village, Gurugram, for Rs 7.5 crore through false declarations. This land transaction has long been under the scanner of central agencies, but this marks the first formal legal action in the form of a chargesheet.
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