Zee Media Bureau/Ritesh K Srivastava
New Delhi: In its sharpest ever attack on the Congress and the Gandhi family, the BJP on Sunday released a video and booklet on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi`s son-in-law Robert Vadra`s alleged fraudulent land deals.
The video, which was released by BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, accuses Vadra of making "unscrupulous" land deals and seeks answers from Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi on the issue.
The video termed as "Damaadgate" by the BJP also accuses Gandhi family of helping Vadra in acquiring the lands.
In the video, the main opposition party also made serious allegations against the Haryana and the former Congress government in Rajasthan of favouring Robert Vadra in acquiring lands by illegal means.
The BJP spokesperson, while addressing a press conference, said that rules were bent to favour Vadra and Sonia Gandhi should give explanation on Vadra`s model of development.
Prasad also said there was gross violation of environmental laws and it was a clear case of corruption.
In #DamaadGate scam there was gross violation of laws relating to land & environment. A clear case of corruption and concealment of facts.
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad_bjp) April 27, 2014
Prasad asked the Gandhis to explain the "Robert Vadra model of development" when "there is so much unemployment and economy was down".
If Robert Vadra was such a great businessman, why did he not expand outside Rajasthan and Haryana?
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad_bjp) April 27, 2014
"It is a text book case of corruption, crony capitalism under patronage," he said.
Terming Vadra as "damad shri (honoured son-in-law)", Prasad claimed 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.
Along with the video, the BJP also released a six-page booklet - "Damad shree the Vadra `get-rich-quick` model" - 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 election. The booklet posed several queries to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on Vadra`s land deals and asked them to come clean.
The video said while there were cases of "bhai bhatijavad (nepotism)", Vadra had added a new tradition of "damadvad (son-in-law favouritism)".
The BJP said the booklet will be distributed in different parts of the country.
Prasad said if an investigation is carried out, there will be criminal cases against Vadra.
"He (Vadra) made huge profit of Rs.300 crore in a few years from an initial investment of Rs 1 lakh," he alleged.
Congress spokespersons Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Randeep Surjewala and general secretary Ajay Maken refuted the BJP`s allegations, but it was Priyanka Gandhi, who in Rae Bareli came out all guns blazing against the BJP and said she will not stay quiet.
She accused the BJP of unnecessarily defaming her husband and said the opposition represented "destructive, negative" politics.
"They are behaving like bewildered rats. I knew they would resort to spreading lies a few days before polls," she told media persons in the constituency where her mother Sonia Gandhi is contesting.
"Let them do more such smear campaigns. I will not keep quiet. I will keep raising my voice against their negative, destructive and shameful politics," she said after an election rally.
"Let them attack more. I will not remain quiet," she said.
In her addresses, she targeted BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, saying his party represented a kind of politics which aimed at concentrating power in one person, while in an indirect jibe at Modi, quipped India does not need a "56-inch chest" for good governance.
Maken said the allegations levelled by the BJP were "old and baseless" and had been made during election time "as a cheap political stunt."
The BJP`s attack came in response to Congress` repeated criticism of Modi over his Gujarat model of development and two days ahead of the April 30 polling for 89 Lok Sabha seats, including all 26 seats in Gujarat.
