'Hounded' by Modi govt: Rahul Gandhi extends support to his brother-in-law Robert Vadra amid ED action

'My brother-in-law has been hounded by this government for the last ten years. This latest chargesheet is a continuation of that witch-hunt,' Rahul said.

New Delhi: Congress on Saturday came out in support of Robert Vadra after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet against him in a money laundering case by issuing a statement and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi claiming that his brother-in-law is being "hounded" by the Modi government and that he is a victim of a "witch-hunt".

While the party has been maintaining that he is a private person when he was being questioned, this is the first time that the Congress has officially come out in support of Vadra, who is the husband of Congress General Secretary and senior MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

"The Congress party sees this tactic of the government for what it is: A calculated strategy of the ruling party to malign Robert Vadra's image through false accusations. This is not the first time the BJP has weaponised agencies to harass political opponents and this won't be last," the statement issued by Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said.

The statement said the chargesheet showed the BJP government's "nervousness" as an election cycle drew close. It s a "desperate bid to intimidate" the Opposition and "divert attention" from its own failure, he said adding, "this is an old case. And there are no new developments. But like clockwork, the moment elections are in sight, the BJP resorts to misusing investigating agencies for electoral benefits..."

Rahul said "stand with Robert, Priyanka (Gandhi Vadra) and their children" as they face "yet another onslaught of malicious, politically motivated slander and harassment" and that he knows that "they are all brave enough to withstand any kind of persecution" and they would "continue to do so with dignity". The truth will eventually prevail, he said on 'X'.

"My brother-in-law has been hounded by this government for the last ten years. This latest chargesheet is a continuation of that witch-hunt," he said.

Earlier on 'X', Venugopal claimed, "it seems the Modi-Shah duo has given the ED a monthly assignment to go after the Congress senior leadership and their family. The latest ED action against Mr. Robert Vadra is pure political vendetta - yet another futile attempt at intimidation."

Congress leaders also viewed the filing of the charge-sheet close on the heels of the Monsoon Session of Parliament as an attempt to corner the main opposition party but said they would continue to raise people’s issues and not bow down before the government.

The ED on Thursday filed a charge-sheet naming the 56-year-old Vadra in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a land deal in Haryana’s Shikohpur. The agency had attached 43 immovable properties located in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat worth Rs. 37.64 crore pertaining to Vadra and his linked entities like Sky Light Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. and others.

Vadra's office said in a statement on Thursday that the present proceedings are "nothing more than an extension of the political witch-hunt" by the present government against him.

Besides Vadra, Sky Light Hospitality Pvt Ltd, Satyanand Yajee and Kewal Singh Virk, their company Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd among others have been named as accused. The court is yet to take cognisance of the prosecution complaint.