New Delhi: Robert Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, was questioned for the second day in a row by the Enforcement Bureau (ED) on Wednesday in connection with a money laundering case related to a 2008 land transaction in Haryana. After the meeting, Vadra accused the central agency of targeting him for his ties to the Gandhi family.
Vadra spent more than five hours in Ed’s office on Wednesday, claiming that he repeatedly asked the same questions despite the Haryana government having given him a clean case. His wife, MP Priyanka Gandhi, accompanied him to the ED office on APJ Abdul Kalam Road and remained in the visitors’ lounge throughout the interrogation.
The 56-year-old arrived at the office around 11 a.m., went home for lunch, and then returned to the second session and finally left around 6 p.m. His statement was recorded, according to the Money Laundering Act records, and sources said he will be questioned again on Thursday.
“I am the target because I am a member of the Gandhi family. The BJP has accused my family for my family (my mother-in-law Sonia Gandhi) and Rahul Gandhi – so I will definitely be next,” Vadra told the media after the meeting. He claimed that the central institutions were “abused” to keep those who question the government silent.
“They may cause us trouble, but we will only become stronger. My connection with my wife has also strengthened these challenges,” Vadra said, adding that he has worked completely with investigators and provided extensive documentation.
Vadra also hinted, formally entering politics, saying, “I have been working with the people since 1999. I am almost an activist now. Sometimes I will definitely go into politics to make a change.”
He further claimed that opposition leaders are usually targeted by investigative agencies unless they join the BJP. “Never have BJP leaders been called,” he said.
The detection of ED is related to a land transaction in February 2008, in which Skylightthaptality Pvt Ltd (formerly Vadra-related company) purchased 3.5 acres of Shikohpur (now District 83) from Gurugram of Onkareshwar Properties for a price of Rs 75 crore. The land was sold to DLF for Rs 58 crore in 2012. The agreement came under scrutiny when senior IAS official Ashok Khemka canceled the land mutation, citing a violation of the state’s merger laws.
The matter was sharply criticized from the BJP during the opposition, a case of what the party called “corruption” and “nepotism”. Haryana police registered the FIR in 2018 to investigate the deal.
Vadra, who questioned the timing of the re-investigation, said: “The case is 17 years old. I have answered these questions in 2019. What is the purpose of reopening now?”
Ongoing detections add to the list of previous cases that central agencies have questioned Vadra. Despite repeated calls, he insisted that all allegations were politically motivated and part of a broader strategy against opposition voices.
