NEWS FOR ROBERT VADRA

WHO IS ROBERT VADRA

Vadra was born to Rajendra and Maureen Vadra on 18 May 1969. Rajendra Vadra hails from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, and Maureen (née McDonagh) was of Scottish origin.^[1] Rajendra was a resident of Civil Lines area of Moradabad and ran a brass and wood handicrafts business. The family is originally from Sialkot, Pakistan, and Rajendra's father moved to India at the time of partition.

Vadra met Priyanka Gandhi when she was aged 13 and they married in 1997. The couple have two children.

Controversies

VVIP Status Controversy

Vadra has been exempted from frisking at airports when travelling with other SPG protectees. The list of such VIPs was compiled and forwarded to the authorities concerned by the Government of India on 26 September 2005. Others on the list include the President, the Prime Minister, former Presidents and PMs and SPG protectees.^[3] This move has come under scrutiny since more important entities on the warrant of precedence, like the Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force staff are not included on the list. ^[4]

Vadra-DLF Controversy[edit]

In October 2012, Arvind Kejriwal accused Vadra of taking an interest-free loan of 65 crores and heavy bargains on land from DLF Limited in exchange for political favors. DLF responded that it had dealt with Vadra as a private entrepreneur, that the loan was Business Advance which was given, as per practice of trade, to make payments for land purchased from Vadra, that the company did not sell him land at a throwaway price, and that no quid pro quo took place.^[5]

His Facebook comment "Mango people in a banana republic" that was later deleted, had become widespread punch line for the news reporters and the public to talk about.^[6][7] On Monday, 8 October 2012, his Facebook account was shut, days after a controversy broke out over his business deals with realty major DLF. Civil society activist Arvind Kejriwal had raised questions over the rise in his fortune. In his account on Twitter, Kejriwal tweeted, "Evidence pouring in from mango men from across the country. Mango men would prove to be nemesis for the powerful."^[8]

Numerous reports have questioned veracity of balance-sheets of Vadra-owned companies, which claim to have received an overdraft of 7.94 crores from Corporation Bank. Corporation Bank has now denied ever providing an overdraft facility to that amount.^[9] In response to the alleged DLF-Vadra controversy, the entire Congress came out to defend Vadra.^[10][11] After a few days when another controversy about the alleged financial irregularaties in an NGO run by congressman and then-law minister Salman Khurshid broke out, Rajdeep Sardesai had tweeted:

"Irony: when law min in dock, no UPA minister there to defend him. When Vadra in dock, cabinet ministers line up to defend."^[12]

IAS Ashok Khemka highlighted land deal corruption in Gurgaon and around for conversion of commercial land. As per report there is corruption between INR20000 crore (US$3 billion) to INR350000 crore (US$58 billion)^[13]

Property Controversy[edit]

According to a report of Wall Street Journal says that Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra had started buying properties from 2009 and the value of it rose 6 times going up to Rs 300 crore. As per their report, Vadra had real estate wealth worth Rs 252 crore in 2012 and had sold a property worth Rs 72 crore mounting his total property wealth to Rs 324 crore in the same year.^[14] It also adds that 44-year-old Vadra has only pursued education till high school but despite it and no experience in property development amassed a large real-estate portfolio.

13 questions on Robert Vadra by BJP that Priyanka Gandhi has still not answered

• Priyanka Gandhi and Narendra Modi RNA Research & Archives

Even as Indian National Congress and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra dismisses the alleged corruption charges made by Bharatiya Janata Party against Gandhi son-in-law Robert Vadra, neither the ruling party nor any member of the Gandhi family have been able to answer any of the serious questions being raised on the sudden increase in Robert Vadra's financial assets. Here are the 13 questions raised by BJP:

1. With a cash & bank balance of Rs. 1 lakh, how was cheque no. 607251 for Rs. 7.5 crores issued by M/s Skylight Hospitality to M/s Onkareshwar Properties on 9.2.2008?  Who paid the Rs. 45 lakhs in cash towards stamp duty on 12.02.2008?
2. Whether the cheque no. 607251 belonged to Skylight Hospitality and whether the cheque was presented to the bank for encashment?
3. Who are the beneficial owners of M/s Onkareshwar Properties? What was the quid pro quo for the sweetheart deal with M/s Skylight Hospitality?
4. What was the real purpose of M/s DLF Retail Developers when it paid M/s Skylight Hospitality advances of Rs 6.5 crores on 05.06.2008, Rs. 1 crore on 10.06.2008 and Rs. 0.55 crore on 12.06.2008?  Were the purposes of these advances changed at a later date?
5. Was the payment of Rs. 7.95 crores (Rs 7.5 crores towards cost of land and Rs 45 lakhs towards stamp duty) not paid to M/s Onkareshwar Properties on 09.08.2008 vide cheque no. 978951 after receiving advances from DLF as above?
6. What assessment was made of the technical and financial capacity or intent of M/s Skylight Hospitality to develop over two lakhs square feet of commercial complex before issuing the LOI in a hurry within 18 days of the application on 28.03.2008?
7. A Collaboration Agreement dated 5.8.2008 was entered into between M/s Skylight Hospitality and M/s DLF Retail Developers to develop a commercial complex at the site. Why was an unregistered agreement entertained by the licensing authority against the provisions of the Registration Act leading to loss of crores of State revenues?
8. Why was the commercial colony license granted in favour of M/s Skylight Hospitality when it was clear in the application for grant of license and other correspondence that the actual developer would be M/s DLF Retail Developers (renamed DLF Universal)?
9. When M/s Skylight Hospitality had already entered into an agreement to sell the land against which Rs. 50 crores was received as advance against sale and possession of the land was handed over to M/s DLF, why was the commercial colony license renewed in favour of M/s Skylight Hospitality on 18.01.2011?
10. Under what statute is the colony license permitted to be transferred and sold?
11. The transfer of the land was completed before August, 2008 as per section 2 (47) (v) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Was tax paid by M/s Skylight Hospitality in the AY 2009-10 (FY 2008-09) on the short term capital gains of Rs. 50 crores which accrued to the company and if not, what penalty proceedings have been initiated against the company by the Income Tax authorities?
12. Do Mr. Rahul Gandhi and Mrs. Sonia Gandhi support the business model of Mr. Robert Vadra? The business model of Mr. Robert Vadra is kleptocratic rentiering from the discretionary licensing and change in land use permissions of the government.
13. What went behind the scuttling of the thematic audit, "Issue of licenses for development of colonies etc. after release of land" in Haryana by the Comptroller and Auditor General on 3rd June, 2013?