New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday hit out at the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a charge sheet against Robert Vadra, the businessman husband of Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Defending his brother-in-law, Rahul Gandhi called the charges against Robert Vadra a "witch hunt".
"My brother-in-law has been hounded by this government for the last 10 years... this latest chargesheet is a continuation of that witch hunt," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in his X post.
"I stand with Robert, Priyanka (Gandhi Vadra, Mr Vadra's wife, and Mr Gandhi's sister) and their children as they face yet another onslaught of malicious, politically motivated slander and harassment. I know 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.
On Thursday, the ED filed a charge sheet against Vadra in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a land deal in Haryana's Shikohpur. Vadra's office issued a statement over the chargesheet and called it "an extension of the political witch hunt" by the present government.
.jpg)
Notably, this is the first time that any probe agency has filed a prosecution complaint naming the 56-year-old Vadra in a criminal case. The federal investigative agency has 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, reported PTI citing sources.
The charge sheet has been filed before the Rouse Avenue court here under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), claimed the sources.
The court is yet to take cognisance of the prosecution complaint. Vadra has denied any wrongdoings and called the case against him a "political vendetta".
"As a law-abiding Indian citizen, Mr Vadra has always and will continue to extend his fullest cooperation to the authorities and he is confident that at the end of it all, the truth will prevail and he will be cleared of any wrongdoing. Mr Vadra is looking forward to the opportunity to defend himself and clear his name in court," the statement released by his office said.
