Priyanka Gandhi denies financial links with Vadra properties

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said her finances had nothing to do with those of her husband Robert Vadra’s or his company Skylight Hospitality which is under Haryana government’s scanner over its land deals with realty major DLF.

A statement from Gandhi’s office came after a media house purportedly made a query to Robert Vadra asking whether a portion of the money he had received from the DLF was used by his wife to buy properties in Faridabad in Haryana.

The statement mentioned about Priyanka Gandhi having bought 5 acres of agricultural land in village Amipur in Faridabad district for Rs 15 lakh on April 28, 2006, six years prior to the purported land deal involving Skylight Hospitality.

The statement said the land was resold to the original owner four years later on February 17, 2010 for Rs 80 lakh, the then prevailing market price. The money was accepted through cheque. The earlier owner was made the offer to allow him exercise the right of first refusal.

“The source of funds for the aforesaid purchase was rental income of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from property inherited by her from her grandmother Indira Gandhi.

“The source of funds for this or any other property acquired by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has no relationship whatsoever with Shri Robert Vadra’s finances and/or Skylight Hospitality and no relationship whatsoever with DLF,” the statement said.

It added that any insinuations made about the land deal were “false, baseless and defamatory” and represented “a deliberate, politically motivated and malicious campaign to besmirch and destroy her reputation”.