BJP Accuses Priyanka Gandhi, Husband of Attempt to Grab Land in Uttarakhand

The BJP on Thursday claimed that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her husband Robert Vadra were involved in an alleged attempt to grab a four-acre land parcel in Uttarakhand, where a 90-year-old woman was being threatened to vacate the property.

There was no immediate reaction from the Congress, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra or Robert Vadra.

Addressing a press conference here, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that the Gandhi-Vadra family's real business is not politics but "grabbing people's land".

He said Robert Vadra's sister Saira Vadra is trying to take possession of a four-acre land at Kichha in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand; the original land lease is in the name of late Kulsum Khan, and the property is currently occupied by her 90-year-old sister, Nasreen Khan.

Bhandari said Congress MLA from Kichha, Tilak Raj Behar, arrived at the property with around 100 supporters late on Wednesday night and threatened Nasreen Khan with dire consequences if she did not vacate the land.

Congress leaders intimidate the occupant when legal routes fail, he alleged.

"When they realise that Saira Vadra cannot get possession of the land through the legal route, they intimidate the occupant. She (Saira Vadra) becomes the front, while Priyanka Vadra and Robert Vadra are behind her," the BJP leader claimed.

Claiming that his allegation was based on Nasreen Khan's own statement, Bhandari said the elderly woman accuses Congress workers of trying to get the property handed over to the Vadra family.

"The buck does not stop with the Congress MLA. The buck stops with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra," Bhandari charged.

Questioning Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's involvement in the matter, he asked, "Did Priyanka Gandhi Vadra call the Congress MLA and ask him to ensure that her sister-in-law gets possession of the land by intimidating a 90-year-old Muslim woman?" Bhandari alleged that the incident reflects the "Gandhi-Vadra model" of land-grabbing, and referred to earlier cases involving Robert Vadra to claim there was a pattern in such transactions.

"Congress claims to stand with Muslims and the poor. Yet, according to the allegations before us, a 90-year-old Muslim woman is threatened to vacate her land," he said.

"The people of the country should understand that if the Gandhi-Vadra family sets its sights on a piece of land, they allegedly send people repeatedly to intimidate the occupant until the land is vacated," Bhandari claimed.