The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday alleged that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her husband Robert Vadra were linked to an attempt to take control of a four-acre land parcel in Uttarakhand, where a 90-year-old woman was allegedly being threatened to vacate the property.
There was no immediate response from the Congress, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra or Robert Vadra regarding the allegations.
Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari claimed that the Gandhi-Vadra family's actual business was not politics but "grabbing people's land".
Bhandari alleged that Robert Vadra's sister, Saira Vadra, was attempting to gain possession of a four-acre property in Kichha in Uttarakhand's Udham Singh Nagar district. He said the original land lease was in the name of the late Kulsum Khan and that the property is currently occupied by her 90-year-old sister, Nasreen Khan.
According to Bhandari, Congress MLA from Kichha Tilak Raj Behar arrived at the property late on Wednesday night with around 100 supporters and allegedly threatened Nasreen Khan with serious consequences if she refused to vacate the land.
He further alleged that Congress leaders resort to intimidating occupants when legal avenues fail to secure possession of disputed properties.
"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.
Bhandari said his allegations were based on statements made by Nasreen Khan, who, according to him, accused Congress workers of attempting to facilitate the transfer of the property 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 role 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?"
The BJP spokesperson alleged that the incident reflected what he described as the "Gandhi-Vadra model" of land acquisition and cited previous cases involving Robert Vadra to argue that there was a recurring pattern in such matters.
"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.
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