Rahul Gandhi slams ‘10-year witch hunt’ as ED names Robert Vadra in Gurgaon land case

A political flashpoint reignited July 17 after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet naming Robert Vadra, businessman and brother-in-law of Rahul Gandhi, as an accused in a money laundering case tied to a controversial land deal in Gurgaon.

Reacting sharply to the development, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP-led government of “hounding” Vadra for the past decade. “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,” Gandhi posted on X, voicing solidarity with Vadra, his wife Priyanka Gandhi, and their children. “The truth will eventually prevail,” he added.

The ED's case, grounded in a 2018 FIR filed by the Gurgaon Police, alleges that Vadra — through his firm M/s Sky Light Hospitality Pvt Ltd — fraudulently acquired 3.53 acres of land in Shikohpur, Sector 83, from M/s Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd back in 2008. Alongside the prosecution complaint, the ED has also provisionally attached 43 immovable assets linked to Vadra and associated entities.

Vadra’s office dismissed the charges as politically driven. “These proceedings are nothing more than an extension of the political witch hunt by the present government,” a statement said. While confirming knowledge of the ED’s move, Vadra asserted he had not been given a chance to review the chargesheet as the court was yet to take cognizance of the matter.

“As a law-abiding Indian citizen, he has always extended full cooperation and remains confident that he will be exonerated,” the statement added.

With the legal battle heating up and political rhetoric intensifying, the case adds a fresh layer of tension to an already fraught political atmosphere as the new Lok Sabha session gains momentum.