Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra figured prominently in both houses of Parliament on Tuesday for his alleged illegal land deals in the neighbouring state of Haryana. An aggressive BJP constantly disrupted Parliament, paralysing proceedings on Tuesday. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnessed two adjournments following uproar by the BJP.
Seeing the apparent reference to Vadra, Congress members were on their feet in protest. Sanjay Nirupam walked into the Well and protested against the BJP’s charge. Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said, ‘Though there are several business schools which teach models of making money, there is one highly connected person who did not go to any such school but has given a model where no investment is made but windfall gains of thousands of crores are made.’
Parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath and his deputy Rajiv Shukla, both seated in the front row, were on their feet. BJP members countered them from their seats. ‘Congress ka haath, damaad ke saath’ (hand of Congress is with the son-in-law) chanted BJP members, seeking to draw the attention on the Vadra issue in the Lok Sabha.
This was rebutted by counter slogans ‘Congress ka haath, janata ke saath, garib ke saath’ (hand of Congress is with the people and the poor) by ruling party members. The BJP demanded setting up of a Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine Vadra’s land deals across Congress-ruled states like Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.
‘Our demand is that the SIT, which should be a multi-disciplinary authority to examine the alleged violation of the banking law, company law and income-tax law through these land deals, be set up and the probe monitored by the SC,’ Yashwant Sinha said. ‘All his deals in the Congress-ruled states of Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan should be probed. Since Vadra has presented a unique business model before the country, my recommendations will be to the Congress party, which interrupted me and did not allow me to complete my speech in the Lok Sabha, to open a Vadra school of management,’ said Sinha taking a dig at Vadra.
In the Rajya Sabha, BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy asked the Chair for his view on a Zero Hour notice to raise the Vadra issue. ‘There is scam that has taken place. It has rocked the nation. It involves somebody very important,’ said Rudy, backed by his party members. Soon Congress leaders retaliated as they raised counter slogans.
The Congress ruled out discussion on the issue in Parliament and dared Sinha to move court after he sought a probe by SIT. Rejecting BJP’s demand that the government give a reply in Parliament on the issue, party spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit said, ‘He (Vadra) is an individual. Not a member of House. We do not discuss individuals in Parliament.’ ‘They are welcome to go anywhere they like.... If he (Sinha) feels, he can go to the court. Nobody is stopping him or anybody else from either approaching the court or the government of Haryana,’
Dikshit said.
Seeing the apparent reference to Vadra, Congress members were on their feet in protest. Sanjay Nirupam walked into the Well and protested against the BJP’s charge. Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said, ‘Though there are several business schools which teach models of making money, there is one highly connected person who did not go to any such school but has given a model where no investment is made but windfall gains of thousands of crores are made.’
Parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath and his deputy Rajiv Shukla, both seated in the front row, were on their feet. BJP members countered them from their seats. ‘Congress ka haath, damaad ke saath’ (hand of Congress is with the son-in-law) chanted BJP members, seeking to draw the attention on the Vadra issue in the Lok Sabha.
This was rebutted by counter slogans ‘Congress ka haath, janata ke saath, garib ke saath’ (hand of Congress is with the people and the poor) by ruling party members. The BJP demanded setting up of a Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine Vadra’s land deals across Congress-ruled states like Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.
‘Our demand is that the SIT, which should be a multi-disciplinary authority to examine the alleged violation of the banking law, company law and income-tax law through these land deals, be set up and the probe monitored by the SC,’ Yashwant Sinha said. ‘All his deals in the Congress-ruled states of Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan should be probed. Since Vadra has presented a unique business model before the country, my recommendations will be to the Congress party, which interrupted me and did not allow me to complete my speech in the Lok Sabha, to open a Vadra school of management,’ said Sinha taking a dig at Vadra.
In the Rajya Sabha, BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy asked the Chair for his view on a Zero Hour notice to raise the Vadra issue. ‘There is scam that has taken place. It has rocked the nation. It involves somebody very important,’ said Rudy, backed by his party members. Soon Congress leaders retaliated as they raised counter slogans.
The Congress ruled out discussion on the issue in Parliament and dared Sinha to move court after he sought a probe by SIT. Rejecting BJP’s demand that the government give a reply in Parliament on the issue, party spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit said, ‘He (Vadra) is an individual. Not a member of House. We do not discuss individuals in Parliament.’ ‘They are welcome to go anywhere they like.... If he (Sinha) feels, he can go to the court. Nobody is stopping him or anybody else from either approaching the court or the government of Haryana,’
Dikshit said.