Rahul Gandhi of the Congress on Friday targeted the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) chargesheet against his brother-in-law Robert Vadra, calling it the latest move in a decade-long “political witch-hunt” by the central government.
The Congress leader's statement came after the probe agency filed a prosecution complaint on Thursday against the businessman husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in connection with an alleged money laundering case involving a land deal in Shikohpur, Haryana.
Reacting to the development, Rahul Gandhi said, “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.”
Expressing solidarity with his family, he wrote, “I stand with Robert, Priyanka and their children as they face yet another onslaught of malicious, politically motivated slander and harassment."
“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,” Gandhi's post on ‘X’ read.
{{/usCountry}}“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,” Gandhi's post on ‘X’ read.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala also came out strongly in defence of Robert Vadra. “There is not an iota of illegality or whisper of a crime," he said, referring to the land deal in Shikohpur, Haryana that is under investigation.
In a post on X, he wrote, “The witch hunting of Sh. Robert Vadra is another vicious attempt of (Narendra) Modi Government to intimidate and persecute, which will fail miserably.”
Questioning the legal basis of the charges, Surjewala asked, “Since when have sale and purchase of property (3.5 acres of land in this case) become illegal or criminal?”
Robert Vadra's office hits out at ‘political witch-hunt’
Robert Vadra’s office on Thursday issued a statement described the ED proceedings as politically motivated. “The present proceedings are nothing more than an extension of the political witch-hunt by the present government against him,” it said.
The federal agency’s prosecution complaint marks a significant escalation in the case that has been under investigation for years.
In the newest crackdown, ED attached 43 immovable properties across five states—Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Gujarat—worth ₹37.64 crore, linked to Vadra and his associated entities, including Sky Light Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.
This marks the first instance of any investigative agency formally naming the 56-year-old Robert Vadra in a criminal prosecution complaint, reported news agency PTI.