ED swoops on Robert Vadra; Congress cries vendetta

Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Friday conducted searches on the premises of three persons linked to Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, in connection with alleged commissions received for some defence deals.

The ED officials swooped on the office of Skylight Hospitality, the firm owned by Vadra and the premises of his associates in Delhi, Noida and Bengaluru, prompting the Congress to accuse the Modi government of pursuing political vendetta.

“We apprehend they are going to plant false, fabricataed and incriminating material in Robert Vadra's office as also exercise coercion to create undue harassment and pressure,” Khaitan said.

The ED officials claimed they have fresh evidence to back their action, but refused to disclose the defence deal they were investigating.

The ED searches come three days after the CBI extradited Christian Michel in connection with the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper deal.

Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala hit out at the Modi government saying the “sure shot defeat in five states has unnerved Prime Minister Modi, who has unleashed the same old trick — of revenge and vendetta against Robert Vadra”.

“Modi is acting like a don lording over a criminal empire to persecute and hound everyone opposed to him,” Surjewala said.

Surjewala said over the last four and a half years, this was the consistent and vicious design of the Modi government to settle personal and political scores against all political opponents, including over a dozen Congress leaders.