Robert Vadra, Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law, and his mother Maureen appeared before the Enforcement Directorate’s office in Jaipur for questioning in connection with the probe into the Bikaner land scam case.
Newly-appointed AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra dropped them off at the ED’s zonal office in Jaipur. Priyanka took time off from her four-day Uttar Pradesh trip in a show of solidarity with her husband.
Vadra took to the Facebook to accused the Narendra Modi Government of being vindictive in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls.
This was Vadra’s first appearance before the ED in Jaipur in connection with charges of money laundering through land deals made by a company linked to him.
Earlier, Vadra was asked by the Rajasthan High Court to cooperate with the agency.
Vadra’s Jaipur appearance follows soon after he faced ED questioning for three days in Delhi on charges of money laundering in a separate case relating to assets in London.
Vadra is also facing charges of irregular land deals in Gurugram district of Haryana.
His mother, Maureen Vadra was allowed to go after some time. Vadra was permitted to leave around 1.30 pm for an hour-long lunch break.
Before the grillingbegun, Vadra accused the government of harassing his elderly mother by putting her through it.
“As I always have adhered to rules and overall being a disciplined person, I have the ability to sustain any amount of hours of questioning and having nothing to hide, I will answer every question with respect and dignity. This too shall pass and will make me stronger,” Vadra said.
“So here we are—my 75-year-old mother and me in Jaipur— to depose in front of the ED. Not understanding the lows of this vindictive government to be harassing a senior citizen, who the world knows has lost her daughter in a car crash, her ailing son to diabetes, and her husband as well,” he posted.
In the Bikaner case, the agency had summoned Vadra thrice but he failed to appear before it. The Rajasthan High Court asked him and his mother to cooperate with the ED after they approached the court seeking directions that no coercive action is taken against them by the AGENCY.
The ED had registered a case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the deal in 2015, taking cognisance of a clutch of FIRs and chargesheets filed by the Rajasthan police after the Bikaner tehsildar complained about alleged forgery in land allotment.
Sources said Vadra was quizzed over his links with the Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, the firm at the centre of the dubious land deals.