Attack on me is BJP’s Plan B to mask its failures, says Robert Vadra

Responding to the BJP’s fresh attack on him on Friday, Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, said that it is a part of Bharatiya Janata Party’s Plan B to drag his name into controversies to distract public attention from its governance failures.

Vadra was reacting to BJP’s attacks on him following a newspaper report that a company that gave him loans got big reliefs.

Speaking in Nagaur in poll-bound Rajasthan, BJP president Amit Shah said, “Today, the front page of The Indian Express says that a company got a loan of thousands of crores and its commission reached the Nehru family’s son-in-law with which he bought 150 hectares of land. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi if he can answer now.”

Union minister Piyush Goyal also raised the issue and tweeted, “Alleged farmer Robert Vadra got income tax relief for favoured companies who purchased land from him? Will Rahul Gandhi answer if this is the relief he seeks for farmers?”

In his attack, Vadra said that it is part of BJP’s strategy to drag his name whenever they find themselves on the back foot “be it Rafale or the prospect of losing assembly elections”.

Issuing a clarification in a Facebook post, Vadra said: “A flurry of media queries are suddenly being sent to me based on entirely false allegations probably being leaked by the government as polling day in Rajasthan comes close!! Interestingly, most of the issues arising thereof happen to be sub-judice. Is it a mere coincidence that this also coincides with certain government agencies accelerating their activities and raking up issues that either have no connection to me at all or I have already responded to years ago and cooperated with them fully over the last four years?”

Vadra, who was summoned for the second time on Friday by ED in the Bikaner land deal case, added, “The sad part is that everyone except the BJP can see how desperate, blatantly political and vindictive these tactics are. I hope independent and professional persons in the media stay focused on issues that really matter to the public in Rajasthan like massive unemployment and misgovernance and don’t allow themselves to get dragged into what is clearly the government’s plan B every time they find themselves on the back foot be it Rafale or the prospect of losing assembly elections.”