Priyanka Gandhi's clarification raises more questions: Ravi Shankar Prasad

NEW DELHI:Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s response to ET’s questionnaire “raises more questions than it answers”.

Speaking to Times Now, Prasad questioned the “new business model for Gandhis” which resulted in ‘windfall gains’ from appreciation of land in a ‘short time’.

Referring to her statement Prasad said it was “curious” to note the value of the land had appreciated five-and-a-half times in less than four years.


Refusing to comment on the contents or merits of the Justice Dhingra Commission report, Prasad said that it was surprising to note that the land purchased at Rs 3 lakh per acre was sold back again to the same person in less than four years. What was “striking” was that the value of the land went up from Rs 3 lakh per acre to Rs 15 lakh per acre in less than four years. He said the appreciation of value was “enormous”.

Raising a question mark on the “gains”, Prasad said that “was it intended to have collateral benefit.” “Is this a new business model for Gandhis, is the question that must be asked”.

Prasad, who has been in the forefront of raising the said land deals involving Priyanka’s husband Robert Vadra, alleged that because of the ‘power’ Vadra exercised, the ‘speedy manner’ in which change of land use happened seemed to have been designed for ‘windfall gains’. He said that although Vadra was a private person, he was married into a ‘powerful’ political family.

On the questions raised by Congress that Justice Dhingra never summoned Robert Vadra, the law minister said that Justice Dhingra was a very seasoned judge and his knowledge of law was wholesome. “Do not go into procedure but come out clean on propriety. Not focus on semantics but substance,” he said.

Prasad asked why attempts were made by (former CM Hooda) to challenge the validity of the Dhingra Commission and to ensure that its findings were not made public. He alleged that “right from day one attempts have been made (by Congress) to denigrate the Dhingra Commission”. He said that the BJP government will not launch any political vendetta against anyone.