Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday took charge as a Congress General Secretary after dropping her husband, Robert Vadra, at the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which had summoned him for questioning.
“He is my husband, he is my family. I support my family,” Ms. Vadra told reporters when asked about the ED’s summons to Mr. Vadra in connection with probes into alleged money laundering and purchase of benami properties abroad.
In a clear political signal that she was not going to be browbeaten by the charges against her husband, Ms. Vadra said everyone knew why this was being done.
The Congress party linked the ED’s move to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. “Election season is on and we expect that every day when a summons is to be answered there will be a press conference,” Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, responding to a BJP press conference where the ruling party levelled serious charges against Mr. Vadra.
‘Front foot’
The BJP’s consistent attack on Mr. Vadra for alleged involvement in dubious business deals has often been cited as a ‘liability’ for Ms. Vadra’s political career.
However, soon after announcing his sister’s formal entry, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had talked about ‘playing on the front foot’, a strategy that was in evidence on Wednesday.
“The obvious attempt is to mislead, confuse, confound and to create an ambience just before the elections,” Mr. Singhvi asserted at a briefing. “People see through this,” he added.
The briefing ended midway when Ms. Vadra arrived at the office unannounced.