New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the government of launching a witch-hunt against his brother-in-law Robert Vadra after the Enforcement Directorate filed a charge sheet against the businessman in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a land deal in Haryana’s Shikohpur.
Gandhi also asserted that the truth shall eventually prevail and that his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her family will withstand any kind of “persecution”.
The ED on Thursday filed a prosecution complaint naming 56-year-old Vadra in the criminal case.
“My brother-in-law has been hounded by this government for the last ten years. This latest chargesheet is a continuation of that witch hunt,” Gandhi said in a post on X.
“I stand with Robert, Priyanka and their children as they face yet another onslaught of malicious, politically motivated slander and harassment,” he added.
Gandhi said, “I know that they are all brave enough to withstand any kind of persecution and they will continue to do so with dignity”.
“The truth will eventually prevail,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha asserted, in his first public comments in support of Vadra.
The federal investigative agency also attached 43 immovable properties located in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat worth Rs. 37.64 crore pertaining to Vadra and his linked entities like Sky Light Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. and others.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the Congress rejects the ED’s latest efforts in a decade-long witch hunt against Vadra.
“We have complete faith in the judiciary, and are confident that this malicious smear campaign will be defeated,” he said.
“It seems the Modi-Shah duo has given the ED a monthly assignment to go after the Congress senior leadership and their family.” “The latest ED action against Mr. Robert Vadra is pure political vendetta – yet another futile attempt at intimidation,” he charged in a post on X.
Vadra’s office issued a statement on Thursday, saying the present proceedings are nothing more than an extension of the political witch-hunt by the present government against him.
In a statement, Venugopal said, as the election cycle draws close, the BJP government’s “nervousness” is once again on full display.
“True to its pattern, the Modi government has unleashed central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate in a desperate bid to intimidate the opposition and divert attention away from its own failures. The chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Robert Vadra is an extension of this willful and malicious agenda,” he said.
Noting that this is an old case, Venugopal said, there are no new developments. “But like clockwork, the moment elections are in sight, the BJP resorts to misusing the investigative agencies for electoral benefits – targeting opposition leaders to manipulate the narrative,” he said.
Venugopal added: “The Congress party sees this tactic of the government for what it is: A calculated strategy of the ruling party to malign Mr Robert Vadra’s image through flase accusations. This is not the first time the BJP has weaponised agencies to harrass political opponents and this won’t be the last.” “Yet, despite the BJP’s unwarranted hostility towards genuine political opposition, we have complete faith in the integrity and impartiality of the Indian judiciary. We are certain that Mr Vadra will appear vindicated from this politically motivated smear campaign and truth will prevail,” the senior Congress leader said.
Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said more than a decade has passed, hundreds of hours of questioning, several appearances before the ED, “repeated failed attempts to tarnish the family’s image, yet no conspiracy was proven, no evidence was found.” “Even after all this, nothing could be established against Mr. Vadra, so a chargesheet has been filed just to defame. This clearly exposes the malicious intent of the Modi government,” Gehlot said in a post on X.
“The Gandhi family has always faced such politically motivated tactics with strength and resilience and will continue to do so. The entire party and the entire nation stand with them. One day, truth shall prevail,” the former chief minister said.
Another AICC general secretary Randeep Surjewala said this attempt of the government to “intimidate and persecute” will fail miserably.
In a post on X, he claimed there is “not an iota of illegality” in the land deal of Vadra and asked since when has sale and purchase of property become illegal.
“The witch hunting of Sh. Robert Vadra is another vicious attempt of Modi Government to intimidate and persecute, which will fail miserably,” Surjewala said. PTI SKC ZMN
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