Congress, ministers must stop 'shielding' Robert Vadra: Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday kept up his offensive against Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and said Congress leaders and senior minister should 'stop shielding him' and act on allegations of 'amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.'

"Mango people expect an answer from the government on the charges against Vadra. But corporate affairs minister and law minister have been trying to whitewash the case. Law minister Salman Khurshid went to the extent of saying that he was prepared to lay down his life for the leader. Mango people want the law minister to stand up against corruption and not lay down his life for his leader," said Kejriwal at a crowded news conference in New Delhi.

Kejriwal alleged that Vadra, who dismissed his India Against Corruption activists as "Mango People in Banana Republic," 'facilitated an unholy nexus' between realty major DLF and the Haryana government. "There are more firms who have made huge amounts of money and we will go after them," Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal mocked Congress and Vadra for their statements that he was engaged in cheap publicity stunt. "Yes, I am seeking publicity for the corruption perpetrated by Vadra," he said. On Congress' charge that IAC was a political project, Kejriwal said that he has not kept his political intentions secret. "Yes, I am in politics. Sometime ago we were told by Congress leaders that we should fight elections and not play an extra-constitutional role. We are going to fight elections and we are in politics," he said.

The high-voltage campaign unleashed by Congress has virtually obliterated the distance between it and Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law. Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi went to the extent of saying that the attack on Vadra is an attack on Congress. Ministers and even a governor defended Vadra.

The government leadership has reasons to be worried as it was hoping that the recent policy decisions would generate a 'feel good' factor in the Centre's favour. "The government was successful in putting policy issues at the centre of discourse. But corruption has returned to centre stage," said a Congress leader who did not wish to be quoted.

Congress' rivals, particularly Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, can be expected to feast on it during his election campaigns. "As in the case of 2G and other scams, that have surfaced during the Congress-led UPA rule, we do not expect Congress to go ahead with a probe, as is necessary.

Congress should stop running from probes into these numerous charges of corruption and institute an inquiry into the DLF-Vadra deals in Haryana," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters here.