Robert Vadra, husband of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and his mother Maureen Vadra appeared before the Enforcement Directorate here on Tuesday in connection with a probe into the Bikaner land deal case.
Mr. Vadra and his mother were questioned at the ED’s regional office in their capacity as Directors of Sky Light Hospitality Private Limited.
Priyanka, who took time off from her Uttar Pradesh tour and flew in here from Lucknow, accompanied the duo to the ED office. This was Mr. Vadra’s fourth appearance before the ED, and the first in Jaipur, for questioning in the property and money laundering cases.
‘Vindictive action’
Ahead of ED’s questioning, Mr. Vadra lashed out at the NDA government at the Centre for its “vindictive action” by sending summons to his 75-year-old mother along with him. “If there was any issue or any illegality which was found by the government, why did it take them four years and eight months to call me a month before campaigning begins for the general elections?” he said in a Facebook post.
According to ED sources, while Ms. Maureen Vadra was allowed to go after some time, senior officials confronted Mr. Vadra with a set of 55 questions in two stages. The questioning took place following a January 21 order of the Rajasthan High Court, which directed Sky Light Hospitality’s partners to appear before the ED.
The ED had registered the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2015, taking cognisance of FIRs registered by the Rajasthan police in connection with the deal for 69.55 acres of land in Bikaner district’s Kolayat sub-division. It was alleged that Sky Light Hospitality had purchased the land at the rate of ₹1 lakh per hectare in 2010 and sold it in two stages to Allegeny Finlease Private Limited in 2012 at ₹7.41 lakh per hectare.