The BJP on Thursday accused Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her husband Robert Vadra of being involved in an alleged attempt to grab a four-acre land parcel in Uttarakhand, claiming that a 90-year-old woman occupying the property had been threatened to vacate it.
There was no immediate response from the Congress, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra or Robert Vadra to the allegations.
Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that the Gandhi-Vadra family's "real business" was not politics but "grabbing people's land".
According to Bhandari, the disputed land in Kichha, in Uttarakhand's Udham Singh Nagar district, is linked to Saira Vadra, Robert Vadra's sister. He claimed the original lease of the property was in the name of the late Kulsum Khan, while it is currently occupied by her 90-year-old sister, Nasreen Khan.
Bhandari alleged that Congress MLA Tilak Raj Behar visited the property on Wednesday night with around 100 supporters and threatened the elderly woman with dire consequences if she did not vacate the land.
"When they realise that Saira Vadra cannot get possession of the land through the legal route, they intimidate the occupant. She becomes the front, while Priyanka Vadra and Robert Vadra are behind her," he alleged.
The BJP leader said his allegations were based on statements made by Nasreen Khan, who, he claimed, had accused Congress workers of attempting to secure possession of the property for the Vadra family.
Questioning Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's alleged role, Bhandari asked whether she had instructed the Congress MLA to help her sister-in-law obtain possession of the land.
He further alleged that the incident reflected what he described as the "Gandhi-Vadra model" of land grabbing and referred to previous controversies involving Robert Vadra to claim there was a pattern in such cases.
The Congress has not issued any statement responding to the BJP's allegations.
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