The “mango people (aam aadmi)” turned out in force tobuttress anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal's testimony againstbusinessman Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The“malafide nexus” between the Haryana government, DLF and Vadra stood exposed ashundreds of people, including farmers, came up with damning documents,information or simply stories of how they had been displaced from theirancestral lands for the benefit of corporate entities.
At a media briefing, Kejriwal couched his expose of the cozynexus between the Haryana government and DLF in the language of the Punjab andHaryana High Court, which had passed blistering strictures on the BhupinderSingh Hooda regime for its blatant benevolence to DLF.
Quoting extensively from a court order with reference toprime land ear marked for a hospital being given to DLF, Kejriwal pointed outthat it was not the first such case. He cited similar instances of the stategovernment showering favours on DLF. Land had been acquired from farmers,ostensibly for development, only to be handed over to DLF. Interestingly, Vadraowned half the DLF subsidiary that was given the land acquired expressly forsetting up a hospital.
Vadra had reacted to the earlier charges from Kejriwal andPrashant Bhushan (that DLF helped him turn Rs 50 lakh into Rs 300 crore inthree years) with a contemptuous remark about “mango people in a bananarepublic”. On Tuesday, he had ample reason to regret it (so had DLF, whoseshare has already tanked 7 percent), as the aam aadmi responded with a flood ofallegations.
Kejriwal didn't put a foot wrong. Not only did he put the“aam aadmi” up front, he infused a sense of drama, brandishing the document onthe controversial hospital deal, claiming he'd obtained it “just five minutesago”. By contrast, the Congress response was anaemic, limited to questioningthe authenticity of Kejriwal's documents and recommending that he take up thematter with the Haryana government.
Within the Congress, stock taking is already under way. Itis now being felt that the party overreacted by fielding a phalanx of ministersto defend Vadra. A simple statement by the party spokesperson, in response to aquestion, was all that was required. The ministers, in a show of competitiveloyalty, apparently overstepped their brief.
News reports of Vadra's properties and DLF's dealings haveappeared sporadically over the last two years. “It was a ticking time bomb”, asenior Congress leader observed.
It is all very well for the party to say former primeminister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's son-in-law faced similar allegations, but thefamily has always set higher standards for itself.
Speculation is rife on whether the Vadra imbroglio willhasten Priyanka's entry into politics or put it off indefinitely.
