BJP alleges Gandhi family \'most corrupt family\' in Indian politics

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday dubbed the Gandhi family as "kattar paapi parivaar" and the "most corrupt family in Indian politics" as it cited the Rajasthan High Court's rejection of Robert Vadra's plea to quash a money laundering probe against him.

BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi should break their "silence" on corruption and money-laundering allegations against Vadra, who is married to Rahul's sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, when their party was in power in Haryana and Rajasthan and at the Centre as well.

The Congress has often claimed that the corruption charges against Vadra are politically motivated.

The Rajasthan High Court had last week rejected a petition seeking the quashing of an Enforcement Directorate investigation into the purchase of land in Bikaner by a company (Skylight Hospitality), linked to Vadra and his mother, through alleged shady means.

"This is a 'kattar paapi parivaar' (extremely immoral family) of India. Its only work has been to do corruption and grabbing land to hand over to Vadra," Bhatia alleged.

He also rejected the Congress's claim of witch hunt against Vadra, claiming that it amounted to casting aspersions on the judiciary which has refused to quash charges against him.

"They are the most corrupt family in Indian politics. Three members of the family are out on bail in corruption cases. It is a serious matter of concern for a government with zero tolerance for corruption," he said, in reference to the corruption probe against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul, both former Congress presidents, in the National Herald case.

Bhatia cited the details of the case against Vadra in Rajasthan and said the Congress government there during 2008-13 acquired land and allotted it to non-existing people. Huge parcel of land ended up in the ownership of the company in which Vadra and his mother were partners through a maze of transactions involving fictitious entities, he alleged.

"The then government headed by Ashok Gehlot bypassed laws and rules to appease Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law," he claimed, alleging that Vadra became the lead of a land mafia. Gehlot is the current chief minister as well.

"The Gandhi members thought they were above law. Now they are trembling before law under a government headed by an honest Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with probe agencies determined to do their work. This is good," he said.

Bhatia also dubbed Congress leader Salman Khurshid's reported remarks likening Rahul Gandhi, who has travelled hundreds of kilometres on foot while leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra, to Lord Ram as "sycophancy".

Comparing a person out on bail with a God not hurts the feelings of Hindus but also the entire society, he said.