New Delhi:
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday welcomed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to electoral politics with a jibe at the net worth of her husband Robert Vadra – as submitted in her election affidavit – and threw in a swipe at the “fake Gandhis”. Neither Ms Gandhi Vadra nor the Congress has responded so far but Mr Vadra has, and has accused the BJP of trying to “(divert) peoples’ attention from real issues”.
The BJP’s Gaurav Bhatia labelled Ms Gandhi Vadra’s election affidavit – in which she declared her assets and liabilities, as well as that of her husband – a “confession of corruption”, claiming the net worth of Mr Vadra was far lower than demands made of him by the Income Tax Department.
“The people want to ask questions… this affidavit (of Ms Gandhi Vadra) is a confession of corruption that these ‘fake Gandhis’ and their brother-in-law, Robert Vadra, have been doing. The declared net worth of Robert Vadra is lower than what the IT Department is demanding…” Mr Bhatia said.
“… if anyone knows how to exploit individuals from backward communities and the Dalits… it is the Gandhi family and the Congress,” he said, sharing an image of Ms Gandhi Vadra filing her papers.
The BJP’s attack was a reference to Rs 37.9 crore in movable and Rs 27.64 in immovable assets belonging to Robert Vadra, as declared by his wife. According to Mr Bhatia, the tax demand against Mr Vadra – who faces multiple cases, including land scam allegations – amounts to Rs 75 crore.
Robert Vadra was quick to respond, accusing the BJP of attacking him whenever they wanted to divert people from “real issues”. “… my name crops up (and) they start talking about me,” he said, “People are aware of the truth. I have not done anything wrong and am ready to face any (probe) agency.”
For herself, Ms Gandhi Vadra declared total assets of over Rs 12 crore, including a bungalow in Shimla valued at Rs 5.63 crore. The BJP has questioned the ownership of that bungalow, claiming restrictions on buying property in Himachal Pradesh had been bypassed to favour the Gandhis.
Ms Gandhi Vadra and the Congress have not responded to the swipes.
The BJP, meanwhile has also claimed – Union Minister Pralhad Joshi weighed in on this too – that the Gandhi family, widely seen as de facto leaders of the party, had “insulted” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge by making him stand outside while Ms Gandhi Vadra filed her nomination papers.
READ | Will Priyanka Gandhi Be A Better MP For Wayanad? Rahul Responds
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will make her electoral debut in the Lok Sabha by-poll for Wayanad in Kerala that was won by her brother, Rahul Gandhi, in the April-June election. Mr Gandhi surrendered the seat as he had also contested, and won, the family bastion of Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh.
Ms Gandhi Vadra began her campaign with a massive roadshow Wednesday leading up to the filing of her nomination papers. “I have campaigned for my mother, for my brother and for many of my (party) colleagues. This is the first time I am campaigning for myself,” she told voters.
With input from agencies
NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.
