Priyanka Gandhi Vadra named in ED chargesheet over land deal in Haryana

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been named in a charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate for the purported acquisition and sale of five acres of land in Haryana, marking the first instance of such allegations against her.

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a charge sheet against CC Thampi, an NRI businessman, and Sumit Chadha, a British national of Indian origin, accusing them of aiding fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari in concealing the proceeds of his alleged crimes, including violations of the Official Secrets Act. The ED has specifically mentioned transactions involving Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and HL Pahwa, a Delhi-based real estate agent. The transactions include the sale of agricultural land in Faridabad in 2006 followed by its repurchase four years later.

Furthermore, according to sources from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as reported by NDTV, a residence was purportedly acquired in the name of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Faridabad's Amipur village in April 2006. This property was then allegedly sold back to Pahwa simultaneously with the land transaction.

Notably, Pahwa is the same agent associated with the alleged purchase of 40.8 acres of land in Amipur by Robert Vadra between 2005 and 2006, followed by its complete sale back to him in December 2010. A similar transaction involving 486 acres was carried out by Thampi, who is presently out on bail following his arrest in 2020. The ED had previously stated that Vadra had a “long and thick relationship" with Thampi, in earlier charge sheets.

The Congress leaders who have often accused the Enforcement Directorate of acting on the behest of the Union Government were quick to take a dig at the BJP. "The British were scared of Gandhi then and, even today, the central government is scared of the Gandhi family... BJP is trying to divert people from the real issues," said Congress leader Nana Patole.