New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) In its sharpest attack yet on the Gandhi family, the BJP Sunday accused Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra of making "unscrupulous" land deals and sought a fair investigation into "corruption under patronage".
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad targeted Sonia Gandhi and her son and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi over the land deals.
He said they should explain the "Robert Vadra model of development" when "there is so much unemployment and economy was down".
Prasad told a press conference here the BJP was not targeting an individual. "It is a text book case of corruption, crony capitalism under patronage," he said.
Terming Vadra as "damad shri", Prasad said land acquisitions by Vadra's firms had flouted several laws, including the Land Acquisition Act, in Congress-ruled Haryana and in Rajasthan where the party was earlier in power.
"Vadra's land deals have the blessings of Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi," he said.
"Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should explain Vadra's land deals which generated huge profits for him," he added.
The BJP released a video and a booklet on Vadra's land deals. The video made repeated attacks at Vadra and said the people will not forgive the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections.
The video said while there were cases of "bhai bhatijavad (nepotism)", Vadra had added a new tradition of "damadvad (son-in-law favouritism)". "Damad (son-in-law) should prosper even if farmer is destroyed," said a slogan in the video.
The booklet posed several queries to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on Vadra's land deals.
BJP sources said the booklet will be distributed in different parts of the country.
In the booklet titled "Damad shree the vadra 'get-rich-quick' model," the BJP alleged that Vadra's company had in 2008 registered purchase of 3.531 acres of land in Gurgaon for Rs.7.5 crore "using a false cheque".
It said Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should come clean on the land deals and posed specific queries to them about the alleged irregularities.
The booklet listed the likely offences allegedly committed by Vadra's firms under various laws, including Prevention of Corruption Act.
"The Congress-ruled states have been reduced to vassals under the Gandhi-Vadra family," the booklet said.
It said an officer in Haryana who handled change in land use and colony licence permissions for nine years was made a member of the Union Public Service Commission after his retirement.
"What considerations weighed in the appointment?" the BJP asked.
The booklet also raised several questions about Vadra's land deal in Rajasthan under the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government.
"He (Vadra) made huge profit of Rs.300 crore in a few years from an initial investment of Rs.1 lakh," Prasad said.
"If an investigation is carried out, there will be criminal cases in Vadra's name," he said.
Prasad's attack Sunday came amid concerted offensive by the Congress on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi over his Gujarat model of development. Apart from Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been hitting out at Modi.
The BJP attack came two days ahead of the April 30 polling for 89 Lok Sabha seats in seven states and two union territories.
Balloting for all 26 seats in Gujarat will also be held April 30. Modi is contesting from Vadodara in the state.
Prasad said the Haryana government accorded speedy clearances to Vadra's firm regarding land use.
Answering queries, Prasad said Rajasthan's BJP government was looking into the allegations concerning Vadra's land deals.
"Nothing will be done out of vendatta. Law will take its own course," he said.
Prasad also asked why Vadra did not go for land acquisitions outside Rajasthan and Haryana in non-Congress ruled states.
SBI: Big relief for SBI customers, bank waives SMS charges on mobile fund transfer
There is news of relief for the customers of the State Bank of India. The bank has waived SMS charges on mobile fund transfers. SBI has informed us that by using USSD services, customers can now
Ambedkar Statue : 125 feet tall statue of Ambedkar in Hyderabad, KCR unveiled
Ambedkar's statue in Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday unveiled a 125-feet tall statue of BR Ambedkar here on the birth anniversary of the Constitution maker.
Uber, Others warned against plying taxis in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jan 21 (IANS) The Karnataka transport department Wednesday warned aggregators of stringent action if they operate taxis in the city without registering with the state government, a top
Delhi CM's home Vandalised: 8 people arrested so far for creating ruckus at Arvind Kejriwal's residence
A total of 8 people have been arrested so far by Delhi Police in connection with the uproar and violent riots at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence. Apart from this, raids are on by Delhi
Weather Update Today: Increased cold in Delhi, the havoc of rain in many southern states; IMD issued alert
Cold is increasing in most parts of the country including North India. According to the Meteorological Department, there may be a drop of 2-4 degree Celsius in the minimum temperature in North West
Morgan wants to continue as England skipper
Sydney, March 13 (IANS) England skipper Eoin Morgan insists that he is still keen to continue at the helm of the team despite leading the side to arguably its worst ever World Cup campaign.England
Assembly Election 2024: The wait is over, dates for Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections will be announced today
Assembly elections in Maharashtra (Maharashtra Election Dates) and Jharkhand will be announced today. The Election Commission will announce the dates for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly
Income Tax Bill 2025: Lok Sabha Speaker constitutes a 31-member selection committee, BJP MP Panda will be the chairman
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has constituted a select committee to examine the Income Tax Bill, 2025. This committee will examine the provisions of the bill and the changes to be made in the law. BJP MP
If India loses... I will marry Zimbabwean boy: Pakistani actress said - India will lose in the next match
Pakistani actress Sehar Shinwari said that if India beat Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup, she will marry a Zimbabwean boy. Sehar Shinwari said this in a social media post on Thursday.
What is the Indian Air Force's 'Mirage' fighter aircraft doing in Israel?
Israel is currently conducting a multinational air exercise called 'Blue Flag 2021', which is being described as Israel's largest air force exercise ever.
