Allegations 8216;utterly false8217;,8217;defamatory8217;: Robert Vadra

He said that his business transactions are fully reflected in financial statements.

Robert Vadra today dismissed as 8220;utterly false,entirely baseless and defamatory8221; allegations over his property dealings with DLF and said he was saddened by attempt of activists Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan to malign him and his family to 8220;gain cheap publicity8221;.

8220;I am a private law abiding citizen who has been engaged in business over the last 21 years. The allegations levelled against me by Kejriwal and Bhushan are utterly false,entirely baseless and defamatory8221;,Vadra,Congress President Sonia Gandhi8217;s son-in-law,said in a statement,two days after charges made by the civil society activists at a press conference here created a political storm.

43-year-old Vadra said he was 8220;saddened by the attempt of Kejriwal and Bhushan to deliberately misrepresent numbers contained in my financial statements,manufacture lies against me and malign me and my family in order to gain cheap publicity for themselves and for the launch of their political party8221;.

He said,8221;My business transactions are fully reflected in financial statements filed before appropriate government authorities in compliance with the law. They are available in the public domain to anyone interested in knowing the truth.8221;

His statement came a day after he broke his silence over the controversy surrounding his property dealings,saying he could 8220;handle all the negativity8221;.

Kejriwal earlier on Friday described as 8220;half truths and lies8221; the clarifications of reality major DLF on the allegations that Vadra was given property at throw away prices for government favours.

8220;DLF has issued a response. It is full of half truths and lies. A lot of information has been suppressed,8221; he tweeted.

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8220;We will issue a detailed response tomorrow. But does Vadra stand by DLF response or does he have another version. Would appreciate his version,8221; Kejriwal said.

DLF has rejected the allegations that it had given unsecured loans to Vadra as a 8216;quid pro quo8217; for favours and said it had transparent dealing with him as an individual

entrepreneur.

In a statement yesterday,the company had said it had given Rs 65 crore as 8220;business advances8221; out of which Rs 15 crore was fully refunded and Rs 50 crore was used for purchase of land.

Rejecting the allegations made by activists Kejriwal and Bhushan that the company favoured Vadra,DLF had said it neither received any undue benefit from any state governments nor was it alloted any land by Delhi,Haryana and Rajasthan

governments.

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DLF had also dismissed the charge that the company sold properties to Vadra and his companies at a throwaway price.

Vadra had said yesterday in his post on a social networking site,8221;Thank you so much for your concern. I am fine and can handle all the negativity. I have lost people I loved,what can be worse.8221;

Congress has already dismissed opposition demands for a probe into the matter.

8220;An inquiry into what? Is a business transaction between two private entities duly reported to the statutory authorities illegal? Is it a crime,8221; party spokesman Manish Tewari had said while terming the activists as 8216;B8217; team of BJP.

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He was asked about demands for a probe into the affairs of Vadra as also how his business has grown to a level of Rs 300 crore from a tiny capital base.

The refrain of AICC as also several Union Ministers was that all the information about the business of Vadra has been regularly filed with the statutory authorities.

Besides,Congress has maintained that the charges made by 8220;B team of BJP8221; were nothing but 8220;baseless and unsubstantiated8221;.