The IT department, in a tax evasion report tabled before the high court, had said it had reasons to believe that over Rs 35 crore, earned by Robert Vadra’s firm in 2010-11, “had escaped from assessment”. (File)
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of launching personal attacks on him and levelling allegations against him to “digress” from the “glaring” issues facing the country.
In an apparent jibe at Vadra, Modi had said the “Shahenshah” was feeling nervous after being dragged to court for “looting farmers” and promised he would be sent to jail soon.
“This chowkidaar has taken the person who looted farmers to court. He is making rounds of ED and court to take bail. He used to think he is Shahenshah, now is nervous. I’ve already taken him to the jail door. Give blessings and I’ll put him in jail within the next 5 years,” said Modi at a rally in Haryana.
Soon after Modi’s rally, Vadra took to Twitter and Facebook to say he has “suffered harassment” at the hands of the Modi government in the last five years and that the prime minister was “insulting” the judiciary with his remarks that he will send him to jail.
— Robert Vadra (@irobertvadra) May 8, 2019
“Please stop these personal attacks on me. By passing such remarks, you insult our honourable judicial system. I have full faith in the Indian judiciary and the truth shall prevail. God save the country,” Vadra tweeted.
In a Facebook post addressed to the prime minister, Vadra said, “I am shocked to hear my name again in your rally. There are glaring issues such as poverty, joblessness, women empowerment etc which are staring right at you, but you chose to talk about me, out of everything else.”
“I have been at the receiving end for the last 5 years of complete harassment, by your government. Relentless notices from various agencies, courts and tax departments, to simply mentally pressurise me.
“11 times being summoned to depose each of 8 to 11 hours with the Enforcement Directorate, in different parts of the country, Court depositions and related orders, etc. BUT NOT ONE allegation has been proven (sic),” he said.
Vadra said he wondered “what did he want to achieve by invoking my name, again and again”.
“Simply the nation knows my name is repeatedly used in elections to digress from the failures of your government and their own misdeeds,” Vadra alleged.


