Won't allow debate on Vadra deals in Parliament: Congress
Land deals involving Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra cannot be discussed in Parliament, the party said on Tuesday even as the Opposition pilloried the Congress leadership for trying to save him.
August 13, 2013 / 20:20 IST
Land deals involving Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra cannot be discussed in Parliament, the party said on Tuesday even as the Opposition pilloried the Congress leadership for trying to save him. While targeting Vadra, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Yashwant Sinha said that he had pioneered a new business model under which one can make huge profit without making any investment.
Also read: Sunil Bharti Mittal's remuneration down 10% to Rs 22.55 crCongress MP and Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari ruled out any discussion on the Robert Vadra land deals in Parliament. "It is unfortunate and inappropraite that the BJP is dragging a private individual into unnecessary controversy. An individual cannot be discussed in Parliament. This is BJP's cheap politics," said Tewari while reacting to BJP leaders.Yashwant Sinha had earlier blamed the Congress of not allowing him to speak when he sought clarification from the government on Vadra. "There is a person in our country who hasn't gone to a business school and made hundreds of crores of money. He is a highly connected person and his name is Robert Vadra," said Sinha while the Congress MPS tried to shout him down in the Lok Sabha. After the House was adjourned as the MPs continued to shout slogans on the issue, Sinha demanded that the government should launch an investigation into the Vadra land deals in Haryana. "The BJP's demand is that there should be a special investigation team, which should be constituted by the Government of India and we should appeal to the Supreme Court to supervise the investigations and a multi-disciplinary investigating team should be constituted to look into all the land transactions of Shri Robert Vadra," said Sinha."There is an organisation called Serious Frauds Investigation Organization which is responsible for investigating violations of Company Law and other kinds of serious frauds, which is a part of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. This is a Government of India law, it's a Government of India organisation and it is not confined to merely civil servants or public servants. It can investigate private individuals also. So, if he's a private individual and he can do whatever he likes - breaks any law - and we'll keep quiet?" he said.Sinha clarified that for the BJP Vadra deals are not important than the Food Security Bill. "No, it is not a priority. They would have allowed me to finish my speech and I would've made the demand on the floor of the House, which is, I'm making outside the House and that would have been the end of the matter. We would've waited for a government response. But the government is not prepared to do and it is their responsibility to get the bills passed, not ours," he added.The BJP also raised the Vadra issue at an all-party meeting called on Tuesday afternoon to ensure that Parliament functions smoothly. BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said that the government should allow it to be raised in Parliament. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
