Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra yesterday (12 February 2019) came down heavily on the Modi government, accusing it of pursuing a vindictive agenda against him and his 75-year-old mother, Maureen, who were in Jaipur to face questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding an alleged land scam in Bikaner, reports TOI.
“I have always 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 and dignity. This too shall pass and will make me stronger. What goes around comes around. God is with us,” Vadra stated on Twitter.
He accused the centre of reaching a low through vindictive action against him and his mother. He highlighted how his mother had lost two of her children along with her husband.
The ED questioned Vadra on his role in opaque land purchases in Bikaner where his firm Skylight Hospitality had acquired 69.55 hectares of land for Rs 72 lakh. The property was later sold to some other company at a price tag of Rs 5.15 crore. The ED questioned him over the details of these transactions.
The ED initiated its proceedings in 2015 on the suspicion that the deals were part of a scheme to launder money by purchasing land at low rates using forged documents. The agency accuses Vadra’s company of making the purchase in a driver’s name and paying the money with a cheque written by Vadra.
Vadra was forced to appear for questioning after an order was passed by the Rajasthan High Court’s Jodhpur bench requiring him to do so.