The BJP on Thursday claimed that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her husband Robert Vadra were involved in an alleged attempt to grab a four-acre plot of land in Uttarakhand, during which a 90-year-old woman was threatened to vacate the property.
There was no immediate reaction from Congress, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra or Robert Vadra.
Addressing a press conference here, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari claimed that the Gandhi Vadra family’s real business is not politics but “grabbing people’s land”.
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He said that Robert Vadra’s sister Saira Vadra is trying to grab a four-acre land at Kechha in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand. The original land lease is in the name of the late Kulsoom Khan, and the property is currently occupied by her 90-year-old sister Nasreen Khan.
Bhandari said the Congress MLA from Kisha, Tilak Raj Bihar, arrived at the property with about 100 of his supporters late on Wednesday night and threatened Nasreen Khan with dire consequences if she did not vacate the land.
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He alleged that Congress leaders intimidate residents when legal methods fail.
“When they realized that Saira Vadra could not get the land through the legal route, they intimidated the occupier. She (Saira Vadra) is in the lead, while Priyanka Vadra and Robert Vadra are behind her,” the BJP leader alleged.
Claiming that his allegations were based on Nasreen Khan’s statement, Bhandari said the elderly woman was accusing Congress workers of trying to hand over the property to the Vadra family.
“The responsibility does not stop with the Congress MLA. The responsibility lies with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra,” Bhandari said.
When he questioned Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s involvement in the matter, he asked, “Did Priyanka Gandhi Vadra call Congress MLA and ask him to ensure that her sister-in-law gets land by intimidating a 90-year-old Muslim woman?”
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Bhandari claimed that the incident reflects the “Gandhi-Vadra model” of land grabbing and referred to earlier cases involving Robert Vadra to claim that there is a pattern in such transactions.
He added: “Congress claims to stand with Muslims and the poor. But according to the allegations before us, a 90-year-old Muslim woman is being threatened with eviction from her land.”
“The people of the country must understand that if the Gandhi Vadra family sets their sights on a piece of land, they are supposed to send people again and again to intimidate the occupier until the land is vacated,” Bhandari claimed.
