Arvind Kejriwal accused Robert Vadra of participating in questionable land deals. Those were just allegations, but so are the crimes supposedly committed by Gurunath Meiyappan. But one is a businessman's son-in-law and the other is a politician's son-in-law. And so, predictably, they were treated differently by the politicians, says T V R Shenoy.
A Haryana government-appointed committee, that probed the orders of senior Indian Administrative Service officer Ashok Khemka cancelling the sale of over 3 acre of land to realty major DLF in a deal with Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, on Friday submitted its report.
Official sources said the three-member committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary Krishna Mohan said that Khemka had acted beyond the authority vested in him by cancelling the mutation of three-acre of land to DLF following the deal with Vadra, son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Amid Gandhi family's attacks on Narendra Modi over the Gujarat model, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday hit back by bringing out a video and a booklet on alleged land deals of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law by terming it as 'Robert Vadra model of development'.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday stood firmly behind its president Nitin Gadkari facing corruption charges, saying the party "endorses" his stand on facing any investigation by competent authority.
Through his exposes, be it on Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, Law Minister Salman Khurshid or Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari, Arvind Kejriwal is slowly delineating his political strategy, says Neerja Chowdhury
Indian Administrative Service officer Ashok Khemka is tired of talking about his latest transfer -- allegedly his 42nd one. Khemka was reportedly transferred after he -- as the director general of consolidation of land holdings and land records --- started probing a land deal between realty giant DLF and businessman Robert Vadra.
The Congress on Wednesday rejected the demand for an inquiry into Robert Vadra's land dealings suggesting the action taken by Haryana Indian Admistrative Service officer Ashok Khemka on a land deal involving the son-in law of Sonia Gandhi was an afterthought.
The Congress on Wednesday saw opposition hand behind Arvind Kejriwal's charges against Robert Vadra and alleged that whenever the party moved for economic reforms, its detractors brought "this type of negativity".
Robert Vadra dismissed as "utterly false, entirely baseless and defamatory" 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 "gain cheap publicity".
The Delhi government on Friday strongly rejected charges of civil society activists Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan that it has allotted land to realty major DLF which in turn allegedly favoured Robert Vadra.
Speaking on the issue, political commentator and the author of 'Sonia A Biography', Rasheed Kidwai tells Rediff.com's Priyanka that the accusations don't reflect state craft and whether government funds were misused.
Taking the ruling Congress head on, Aam Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav has claimed that corruption in Haryana was "much worse than Delhi".
Away from the public glare, the Gandhis and the Mukherjees had a very private dinner at the country's most well-known address the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Vadra's interim protection from arrest was extended till April 1.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Thursday reserved its order on the maintainability of a writ petition filed by a local activist -- seeking a probe into allegations of irregularities against Robert Vadra relating to his land transactions with real estate major DLF in Haryana.
Khap panchayats oppose marriage in same gotra to control landholdings, writes Richard Mahapatra
Cornered over charges of dubious funding of party president Nitin Gadkari's Purti Group, the Bharatiya Janata Party Wednesday hit out at ruling Congress asking why no action is being taken against Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vardra in land deals and the prime minister in the coal allocation scam.
The Parliament was adjourned till 2 pm after Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Congress ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam triggered uproar over the alleged land deals by kin of a leading politician and plight of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Senior Haryana Indian Administrative Service officer Ashok Khemka, who stirred a political storm by alleging irregularities in the Robert Vadra-DLF land deals, on Friday said he had got two threat calls within a fortnight and accused the police of not taking any action.
Senior Haryana IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who is in the news following the recent controversy over land deals involving Robert Vadra, has received another threat call and Panchkula police have begun an enquiry into the matter.
Launching a counter-offensive, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said while its chief Nitin Gadkari has agreed to a probe about his company's funding, Congress and its ministers have not made any such offer about Robert Vadra's dealings and other cases.
Ailing Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Wednesday did not attend his party's annual Dussehra rally but sought support for his son and grandson as he launched a broadside against Congress and the Gandhi family through a recorded message.
High drama was witnessed at Arvind Kejriwal's press meet on Sunday when he was angrily confronted by a woman claiming to be a former IAC volunteer and sharply questioned on his conduct.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Sunday suggested that there was evidence against the kin of former Prime Minster Atal Behari Vajpayee and L K Advani of alleged corruption and wrong-doing but Congress will never use that to embarrass them.
"We had put some questions to Robert Vadra and the Prime Minister. Let them answer first. Then, we will answer all questions from Digvijaya Singh. I request Singh to encourage Mrs Gandhi, Prime Minister or Rahul Gandhi to come for a public debate.
Alleging that Robert Vadra used his 'connections' with the Gandhi family to accumulate wealth and commit other improprieties, Janata Party chief Subramaniam Swami on Tuesday questioned Arvind Kejriwal for restricting his expose to Vadra only and not attacking the Congress president on the issue.
A senior Indian Administrative Service officer from Haryana is at the centre of a raging controversy after he was transferred in the wake of his decision to probe the alleged undervaluation of properties dealt with by Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi
Activist Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday questioned the transfer of a senior Haryana IAS officer, alleging that he was shunted out because he ordered a probe into the land deal allegedly involving Robert Vadra and realty major DLF. A 1991-batch officer, Ashok Khemka, director-general of land consolidation and land records-cum-inspector general of registration in Haryana, was transferred out of the post within three months of assuming charge.
Chiding the Manmohan Singh government for "coming out in defence" of Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said Congress "lacks" such sensitivity in expressing solidarity with the victims of terrorism.
Delhi high court judge (retired) Shiv Narayan Dhingra, who is heading commission probing the grant of licenses to entities in Sector 83 of Gurgaon, on Thursday said Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra may be called to record his statement "if required".
Taking note of a Public Interest Litigation seeking investigation into the alleged nexus between realty giant DLF and businessman Robert Vadra, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Thursday directed the central government to submit a reply within the next three weeks.
The Centre was asked by the Allahabad high court on Thursday to respond within three weeks on a petition seeking a probe into allegations levelled by activist Arvind Kejriwal against Robert Vadra.
Mihir S Sharma asks a few questions on l'affaire Vadra, and makes notes on who should answer them and why
While supporting Arvind Kejriwal's campaign against corruption, the public has to be cautious about his inflated political aspirations, warns senior analyst B Raman.
Realty major DLF has rejected allegations made by activist Arvind Kerijwal of a nexus with Robert Vadra and the Haryana government and said that it enjoyed no special favours with the state government.
The President's Office and the All India Congress Committee sources confirmed that the one-hour meeting did take place, but were reluctant to speculate on the nature of the discussions.
In the wake of fresh charges levelled by social activist Arvind Kejriwal against Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday demanded Congress and UPA ministers stop defending him and order a fair, free and comprehensive inquiry into his business dealings.
Even as the Vadras remain mum on the storm over their escalating assets, everyone, including security officers manning their gates, is avidly scouring newspaper pages for the latest scoop on Robert Vadra.
Activist Arvind Kejriwal on Monday attacked Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shanta Kumar for asking them to include Priyanka Vadra's property in their fight on DLF-Robert Vadra issue, saying the party-led Himachal Pradesh government has the details and it should make the details public.