New Delhi: Activists-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal has said he is ready to face a defamation case if the corruption charges he made against Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra yesterday prove wrong.
Mr Kejriwal, who launched his political party on Monday, said yesterday that Mr Vadra was given an interest-free loan of Rs. 65 crore from DLF, which also sold him vast amounts of property at hefty bargains in return for favours from the Congress. He however offered no evidence of a quid pro quo.
Mrs Gandhi has reportedly told her partymen that the charges made against her son-in-law are an attempt "to sensationalise" his involvement in real estate. She is also said to have told party leaders to refute all allegations made against Mr Vadra.
Reacting to the controversy, Mr Kejriwal's mentor Anna Hazare said that the Congress should investigate the activist's allegations against Mr Vadra to bring the truth out. "If the allegations are proved wrong, then they have full right to file a defamation case against him," he added. He further suggested that the Congress shouldn't shy away from an investigation if they are sure that the allegations are wrong.
The two activists parted ways after Mr Kejriwal announced his decision to enter politics. However, after days of derisive remarks, Anna softened his stand after a meeting with Mr Kejriwal earlier this month. He said that he would support Mr Kejriwal if he stands for election, but caveated that not all candidates put up by Mr Kejriwal will be backed by him.
Mr Kejriwal says that DLF sold vastly under-valued flats, many of them in its main market of Haryana, to Mr Vadra. In exchange, he said, the Congress party gave the developer large expanses of land in states like Haryana where the party is in power. Some of this land, he said, had been acquired from farmers for public projects. The activist also said that clearances and permissions were given to DLF projects at lightning speed. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has said that all land given to developers in his state was awarded through a transparent bidding process.
Mr Kejriwal has said that while an independent investigation must be conducted, Mr Vadra's status as Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law guarantees that an impartial inquiry is impossible.
DLF referred to a statement it issued last year to a newspaper in which it said "The business relationship of DLF Group with Robert Vadra has been in his capacity as an individual entrepreneur and on a completely transparent and arm's length basis."
Today, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad said that Team Kejriwal is just shooting from the hip. "This is their habit to make baseless allegations," said Mr Yadav.
Appearing on NDTV, Law Minister Salman Khurshid described the activist as "upstart political people" and warned that "we will strategise...and see if something more needs to be done to teach them a lesson or two on what the law of the land is." He described the allegations as a political conspiracy to grab attention by a newly-formed party. When asked if Mr Vadra will sue for defamation, he said the party will look at all options before it decides on its course of action.
Reacting to Mr Khurshid's comments, Mr Kejriwal today hit out at him saying, "He (Mr Khurshid) is the country's Law Minister, not the Congress party's."
Defending Mr Vadra, Congress's Rajiv Shukla said yesterday, "All businessmen take loans to build their business. Maybe Robert Vadra also did that. What is wrong with that? But there is nothing to prove any wrong-doing...no proof that the Congress helped out DLF."
The BJP predictably seized the allegations to target the Congress and said the party should not dismiss the accusations without a detailed investigation. "It is high time that the Congress must display how Mr. Vadra got his money. I think there needs to be specific investigations," BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat too said an investigation was must. "These facts came to light about a year so in some newspapers. Yesterday again, some questions were raised and some documents were presented. We think that if this issue has come to the forefront, the government should definitely investigate. There should be a scrutiny and then the truth should be place in front of the public," she said.
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