Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra
New Delhi : Parliament was today rocked by allegations of illegality in land deals involving Robert Vadra with BJP going on the offensive demanding a SIT probe besides a discussion on the floor of the House which was rejected by the Congress.
As the issue involving the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi generated political heat and led to repeated adjournments of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, BSP and SP–UPA’s outside supporters–came in support of the Congress President asking how could she be held responsible for alleged wrongdoings of a relation.
During the uproar, BJP members demanding a discussion raised slogans attacking Congress and Vadra while Congress members shouted counter slogans.
“‘Congress ka haath, damaad ke saath’ (hand of Congress is with the son-in-law),” chanted BJP members, seeking to bring up the Vadra issue in Lok Sabha.
This was met with counter slogans ‘Congress ka haath, janata ke saath, garib ke saath’ (hand of Congress is with the people and the poor) by ruling party members some of whom rushed to the well of the House.
Yashwant Sinha of BJP led the charge against Vadra in the Lok Sabha.
“Though there are several business schools which teach models of making money, there is one highly connected person who did not go to any such school but has given a model where no investment is made but windfall gains of thousands of crores are made.”
Sinha later told reporters outside Parliament that BJP is demanding a Special Investigating Team, to probe into Vadra’s land deals which should be monitored by the Supreme Court, so that truth would come out and guilty would be punished.
After a meeting of BJP’s Parliamentary Party, Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ravishankar Prasad rejected Congress contention that the matter was a “state subject” and therefore cannot be raised in Parliament.
Congress ruled out discussion on the issue in Parliament.
Rejecting BJP’s demand that Government give a reply in Parliament on the issue, party spokesperson Sandip Dikshit said, “He (Vadra) is an individual. Not a member of House. We do not discuss individuals in Parliament”.
Vadra’s controversial land deals in Haryana were also raised at an all party meeting by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, who asked why the opposition was not being allowed to raise the issue in Parliament.
Elaborating on the demand for a SIT, Yashwant Sinha said it should be a multi-disciplinary team, because Vadra has allegedly violated many central laws including banking law, Income Tax law and company law.
“All his deals in the Congress-ruled states of Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan should be probed,” Sinha said.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari targeted Haryana IAS officer Ashok Khemka for what he described as his “administrative overreach” in the matter of allegations against Vadra and asked BJP not to stall Parliament over the issue.
“I don’t think when you exercise quasi-judicial authority, you are supposed to call off the principles of natural justice,” he said outside Parliament House.
“The principles of natural justice ordain that if at all you decide to pass an order against a particular individual, you give him a right to be heard. You do not pass ex parte orders in clear breach of every propriety of jurisprudence.”
In the Lok Sabha, Left parties said all cases of corruption, whether any individual or any corporate is involved, must be probed and the guilty punished. These issues must also be discussed in the House, they said.
Seeing the apparent reference to Vadra, Congress members were on their feet in protest. Sanjay Nirupam walked into the Well and protested against BJP’s charge.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath and his deputy Rajiv Shukla, both seated in the front row, were on their feet. BJP members countered them from their seats.
In the Rajya Sabha, Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP) asked the Chair for his view on a Zero Hour notice to raise the Vadra issue.
“There is a scam that has taken place. It has rocked the nation. It involves somebody very important,” Rudy said, with his party MPs rising in support.
Soon Congress members were on their feet raising counter slogans.
BSP supremo Mayawati came to the support of Sonia.
“I would like to say if Sonia Gandhi is held responsible for it, our party does not agree with it. If someone does something wrong, his or her relations should not be punished. On the allegations against Robert Vadra, how can Sonia Gandhi be held responsible,” she told reporters.
BJP’s Ravishankar Prasad while rejecting Congress contention that the matter was state related said it is an issue of a serious bank fraud.
“It is not a state subject. This is an issue of a serious bank fraud. It is a case of enrichment through the use of authority by collusion, of a fraudulent bank document and banking documents’ manipulation becomes clearly a national subject apart from the larger issue of corruption,” he told reporters.