The BJP on Saturday criticized Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for failing to disclose crucial information about her and her husband Robert Vadra's assets in her affidavit for the upcoming Lok Sabha bypoll in Wayanad, Kerala. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia alleged that Gandhi is violating a Supreme Court directive that mandates poll candidates to fully disclose their assets, as well as those of their spouses and dependents.
"The Supreme Court order is binding on all citizens. The Gandhi family is not above law. There can be only one outcome. If somebody furnishes wrong information in the affidavit, they have no right to contest elections," Bhatia told reporters here.
The scrutiny of nominations by poll officials is scheduled for October 28, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensifying its attacks on Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra regarding her affidavit. BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia highlighted that Gandhi's affidavit fails to mention her ownership of shares in Associated Journals, which are allegedly held through several trusts linked to the Gandhi family’s acquisition of National Herald assets.
Bhatia characterized this as a non-disclosure of critical information. He also pointed out that while the affidavit includes details about Vadra's three firms, it overlooks his stakes in two other companies.
The Gandhi family, he alleged, thinks that it can ignore the law and befool people. No one should harbour such an illusion, he added. The bypoll to the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency is scheduled to be held on November 13.