In what is being considered another set-back for the Rahul Gandhi led Congress, Robert Vadra, Priyanka Gandhi’s husband and Rahul Gandhi’s brother in law has been summoned by Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Bikaner land scam.
According to India Today, Robert Vadra was summoned by ED in the first week of November and then again on 24th November, however, he failed to comply.
In September 2015, the Enforcement Directorate had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), alleging that Sky Light Hospitality, owned by Robert Vadra, had bought a piece of land in Kolayat, Bikaner, on the cheap and sold it at an extremely high premium through illegal transactions.
The Congress has as usual sprung into action to allege “political vendetta”. Ahmed Patel reportedly said, “As election approaches, such things will be brought up in Parliament. But the law should take its own course. It’s a new trend to defame someone. Things are played on media, even when the probe is underway and there is no evidence.”
However, it would appear that the Congress is on the backfoot with the investigation in several corruption cases against senior Congress leaders seem to be progressing at a feverish pace. Recently, CBI had got the sanction to prosecute P Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis case and with each such step, the trouble for Congress only seems to mount.
It is unclear whether Vadra has responded to the summons yet, but with the progress of investigations, the clamour by Congress about these investigations being the result of “political vendetta” is only set to grow louder.