Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Centre, accusing it of carrying out a decade-long “witch hunt” against his brother-in-law Robert Vadra, after the Enforcement Directorate filed its latest chargesheet against him.
“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. I stand with Robert, Priyanka and their children as they face yet another onslaught of malicious, politically motivated slander and harassment,” Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.
“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,” he added.
The Leader of Opposition’s remarks came a day after the ED filed a charge sheet against Vadra, who is married to Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a land deal in Haryana.
This is the first time any investigative agency has named the 56-year-old businessman in a criminal prosecution complaint.
The ED has attached 43 immovable properties across Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat worth over Rs 37 crore, allegedly linked to Vadra and his companies, including Sky Light Hospitality Pvt. Ltd, sources told news agency PTI.
The case stems from a 2018 FIR registered by Gurugram Police, which accused Vadra’s firm of fraudulently purchasing 3.53 acres of land in Shikohpur village, Sector 83, Gurugram, in February 2008 through what investigators claim was a false declaration. The land was reportedly bought for Rs 7.5 crore from Onkareshwar Properties Pvt. Ltd.
Vadra, who was questioned by the ED for three consecutive days in April, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that the case is part of a “political vendetta” targeting him and his family, which includes Congress matriarch Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
In a statement, Vadra’s office described the latest chargesheet as “nothing more than an extension of the political witch hunt by the present government”.
“As a law-abiding Indian citizen, Mr Vadra has always and will continue to extend his fullest cooperation to the authorities. He is confident that at the end of it all, the truth will prevail and he will be cleared of any wrongdoing,” the statement added.
Backing Vadra, the Congress called the chargesheet another attempt by the Modi government to “intimidate and persecute” its leaders. “The witch hunting of Shri Robert Vadra is another vicious attempt of the Modi Government to intimidate and persecute, which will fail miserably,” Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala said.
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