Robert Vadra Hits Out at Centre on Questioning of Mother, Says ‘New Lows of This Vindictive Government’

Notably, mother and son duo are e expected to make a fresh appearance before the Enforcement Directorate today in Jaipur.

New Delhi: Robert Vadra, Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law, on Tuesday hit out at the Centre and called it “vindictive government”. His reaction came a day after the Enforcement Directorate had summoned his mother Maureen Wadra in connection with a money-laundering probe in a land scam case. Notably, mother and son duo are expected to make a fresh appearance before the Enforcement Directorate today in Jaipur.

Robert Vadra wrote a long post on Facebook. The post read, “So here we are my 75-year-old mother n me in Jaipur to depose in front of the Enforcement Directorate. Not understanding the lows of this vindictive government to be harassing a senior citizen, who the world knows has lost her daughter in a car crash, her ailing son to diabetes, and her husband as well. Three deaths n all I did was to ask her to spend time with me in my office, so I can look after her and we both could grieve on our losses while spending time together. Now she is being accused, maligned and called to be interrogated, for spending time in my office. Since I have already been interrogated for 3 days in Delhi’ headquarters, of the Enforcement Directorate. If there was any issue or any illegality, which was found by the government, why did it take them 4 years n 8 months, to call me a month before campaigning begins for the General elections? Do they think people in India do not view it as an election gimmick ?! As I always have adhered to rules and overall being a disciplined person, I have the ability to sustain any amount of hours of questioning and having nothing to hide, I will answer every question with respect n dignity. This too shall pass and will make me stronger. What goes around comes around. God is with us !!”

This will be the fourth time that Vadra will appear before the agency. Meanwhile, Varda’s wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also arrived in Jaipur on Monday night, after holding a mega roadshow along with her brother Rahul in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow.

On last three occasions, Vadra appeared before the ED in Delhi in connection with a money laundering probe against him for his alleged role in procuring assets abroad in an alleged illegal manner.

The Tuesday’s appearance before the ED in Jaipur is directed by the Rajasthan High Court which asked Vadra and his mother to cooperate with the agency after they approached it seeking directions that no coercive action is taken against them by the agency.

Officials said the investigating officer (IO) of the case will record the statement of Vadra and his mother under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency has grilled Vadra for about 24 hours over three sessions last week in the national capital.

The ED had registered a criminal case in connection with the deal in 2015, taking cognizance of a clutch of FIRs and chargesheets filed by the Rajasthan Police after the tehsildar of Bikaner complained about alleged forgery in the allotment of land in the area, considered sensitive due to its proximity to the Indo-Pak border.

Vadra had earlier denied any wrongdoing in connection with the land deal and the Congress had claimed that the case was a result of “sheer political vendetta”.

The Rajasthan government had, in January 2015, cancelled the mutations (transfer of land) of 374.44 hectares of land, after the land department claimed to have found that the allotments were made in the names of “illegal private persons”.