BJP questions Congress silence over Robert Vadra's links with absconding arms dealer

NEW DELHI: Political temperature is up ahead of State polls as both Congress and the ruling BJP has started targeting each other on some or other issues. BJP on Tuesday slammed the Congress over keeping silence on the alleged relationship between Robert Vadra and arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.

“Why is the senior leadership of the Congress silent on the Vadra matter? They need to answer on the relationship between arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and Robert Vadra,” senior BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday.

“Is Congress leadership, by being silent, implying they knew of it?” Sitharaman questioned.

Citing the media report, the Defence minister alleged that a London house linked to Mr. Vadra was refurbished by Bhandari, who also made arrangements for his travel abroad. She also claimed that an amount of 7.5 lakh Swiss franc was deposited in a bank account of Bhandari and asked if there was a connection between this and the money spent on refurbishing the London house linked to Mr. Vadra.

Sitharaman said, “There are multiple grey areas involving Mr Vadra and Mr Bhandari including emails and bank account transactions that suggest financial dealings between them.”

Reacting on the BJP’s remarks, Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said Vadra has been going through ‘witch-hunting’ for the last 41 months.                “As far as any allegations against Robert Vadra are concerned, we will only say, Modiji has been in power for 41 months. They have a government in Haryana and Rajasthan, and by all means, conduct any investigation that you choose, and come to a conclusion through a free and fair process of law of any wrong doing,” Surjewala said.

The Congress spokesperson said in ‘witch-hunting’ of 41 months and multiple commissions of inquiries, the BJP has not arrived at a single conclusion of violation of any law, rule or regulation, either in Haryana and Rajasthan.

The Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi again raised the matter related to BJP chief Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah during evening hours. “State legal help for Shah-Zada! Why this, why this Kolaveri Da?,” read the official twitter handle of Rahul Gandhi, Office of RG.

On Monday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani targeted Rahul Gandhi tweeting, “Eagerly awaiting Rahul ji's poetic explanation for #VadraTicketGate.”