Caught in a controversy over allegations that he was favoured by realty major DLF, Robert Vadra on Saturday broke his silence saying he can "handle all the negativity" even as Congress and BJP sparred over the issue.
DLF insisted that its "business relationship" with Vadra or his companies had been conducted in individual capacity as per the "highest standards of ethics and transparency" and that it had "not received any undue benefit from any state government or any government authorities in any part of India".
DLF said in a statement that no unsecured loans were provided by it. Arvind Kejriwal, who levelled allegations against Vadra, son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, at a press conference here yesterday, said he was ready to face defamation case if his charges were proved untrue.
He had alleged that property worth Rs300 crore was given at throwaway prices by DLF to companies owned by Vadra with an unsecured interest free loan of Rs 65 crore from given by the realty firm. Without getting into specifics of the allegations, sources close to Vadra quoted him as saying that he "can handle all the negativity."
Apparently suggesting that he had seen worse situations, he stated, "(I) lost people I loved.. what can be worse" Congress leadership continued to come to Vadra's defence. Transactions between two private individuals could not be questioned on the basis of "implied act of corruption", Finance Minister P Chidambaram said in Mumbai.
The AICC, too, came in support of the 43-year-old businessman married to Priyanka Gandhi, with party spokesman Manish Tewari rejecting demands for a probe into the matter asking "an inquiry into what?"
BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad told reporters in Jaipur that "it is the expectation of people of the country that the matter should be investigated. It should also be probed what benefits Congress state governments in Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi gave to Vadra."