PM Modi celebrating like a ‘shahenshah’, says Sonia Gandhi

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi-Congress president defends Robert Vadra, says charges against him are a part of Centre’s bid for a ‘Congress-free India’. Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday attacked the government over the celebrations of two years of the National Democratic Alliance government and described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as ‘shahenshah’ (emperor). “I have never seen anything like this. A prime minister is there, not an emperor. He is the country’s prime minister. There is so much poverty in the country. There is drought. Farmers are in trouble. I do not find it appropriate (that the government) shows off like this,” she told.

Gandhi said Modi’s ministers have given him ‘this stature’ and are busy in holding celebrations. She also hit back at the government on the charges against her son-in-law Robert Vadra saying it’s a part of a conspiracy of leveling false allegations in its bid for a ‘Congress-free’ India. She dared the government to order an impartial probe if there is something in which she said the truth will come out. On a visit to her Parliamentary constituency, Gandhi was asked by newsmen on reports citing a probe by income tax department into transactions of an arms dealer and his links with Vadra, especially with regard to ownership of a house in central London.

“This is a conspiracy for Congress-free country. What is the meaning of Congress-free India? Everyday they make new excuses. They level false charges. If there is something, then there should be an impartial probe. Everything will become clear,” she said. News reports on Tuesday quoted from purported papers seized by the IT department during searches last month on the arms dealer’s premises that allegedly led to a trail of emails between Vadra and his assistant on the one hand and the dealer’s aide on the other regarding the purchase of a London house for approximately Rs 19 crore in 2009 which was subsequently said to have been sold.

Vadra’s legal firm has denied that he owned the London property directly or indirectly. It also denied that Vadra has any business ties with Bhandari or his aide. The Bharatiya Janata Party reacted to Gandhi’s defence of Vadra by saying that it has exposed the ‘farce’ that he was merely a private citizen. The party also took a dig at her over her ‘shahenshah’ jibe, saying people had sent the emperors packing in the 2014 polls. It mocked the Congress chief’s dare to the government to order a probe into the accusations against Vadra, saying the opposition party has dubbed such enquiries as vendetta earlier.

“The Congress chief’s comments have exposed this farce that Vadra is merely a private citizen. It has established that he is the Gandhi family and the Gandhi family is him. When we do probe, then Congress quickly dismisses it as vendetta. The BJP wonders why she is so rattled over some questions being asked about Vadra over some media reports. “Those who behaved and ruled like ‘shahenshah’ were sent packing by voters in 2014. Those emperors are now on bail in the National Herald case involving corruption of over Rs 5,000 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he is ‘pradhan sewak’ and he has been serving people,” BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.