On Sunday 8 October 2012, in ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ by Karan Thapar in CNN IBN News Channel interviewed Kejriwal on the question of moral propriety of Kejriwal in raising the issue of Robert Vadra without giving Robert the opportunity of defending himself ,that too after getting this information(which is available for the Public from the reistrar of Companies) from an article published in the Economic Times in March last year.
Karan Thapar’s moral high ground is laudable.
But the point by Kejriwal that how else does one expect one’s answer when such a major scam is reported in the Media long back ,which no other Media picked up(incidentally Hindustan Times’ expose on Thorium theft remains unpicked by Media till date-I posted details in my blog), is well taken.
On the other hand Kejriwal’s silence to why he raised a hue and cry when corruption charges were leveled against Shanti Bhushan, si deafening.
You should have a level field for play.
Well, Kejriwal has become a Politician now and we can not expect any thing more from him than double talk.
Now coming to the issue ‘How exactly is DLF is linked to Robert Vadra and did the Media not follow up ET story?
New Delhi-based entrepreneur Robert Vadra, married into the country ‘s most powerful family, has made a quiet and relatively unheralded entry into the real estate business, including a partnership with DLF Ltd, India ‘s largest realty firm. Vadra, the son-in-law of the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition chairperson Sonia Gandhi, has stayed away from electoral politics, maintaining that he wants to be known as a businessman,
In interviews, he has said that his focus is on Artex, a small company specialising in jewellery and handicraft exports. That seems to be changing as 42-year-old Vadra, known for his punishing fitness regime and love for fast bikes, has sought to scale up and diversify his business activities since 2008, acquiring tracts of land in Haryana and Rajasthan, a 50% stake in a leading business hotel in Delhi, and attempting an entry into the business of chartering aircraft. Regulatory filings available in the public domain and reviewed by ET reporters reveal the changing graph of Vadra ‘sbusiness interests. These include wide-ranging transactions with the DLF Group.
Several of his companies have received loans, some unsecured, from DLF group companies, including the Bombay Stock Exchange-listed flagship DLF Ltd.
A JOINT VENTURE AND SOME LOANS
Sky Light Hospitality Pvt Ltd, a company wholly owned by Vadra and his mother Maureen Vadra, is a partner, along with DLF Hotel Holdings and others, in a partnership firm that owns the business hotel Hilton Garden Inn in the upscale South Delhi business district Saket. The hotel is located within the DLF Place mall, also known as DLF Courtyard. “The Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Saket is a small business hotel.
I have interest in hospitality and am happy to be part of the hotel,” Vadra told ET, speaking on the phone from Europe, where he is travelling presently. He said the business association with DLF stemmed from a long-standing friendship with the family that controls the realty giant. “I have known the DLF people for a long time and they are friends of mine. I had wanted to invest in real estate and one thing led to another. Right now, I can only be part of a small hotel.
If I were taking favours from people I would be doing far bigger things. But I am doing this on my own. I can’t expand immediately but I hope to expand a few years down the line,” he added.”
“DLF has given loans to Vadra ‘s companies
DLF has also extended loans to various companies owned by Vadra. Some of these are unsecured loans or debt without any collateral. As on March 2009, Sky Light Hospitality had received unsecured loans amounting to Rs 25 crore from DLF Ltd. As on March 2010, only Rs 10 crore remained. It ‘s unclear from the statement of accounts if the rest was paid back or written off. Sky Light Hospitality has, in turn, loaned money to other Vadraowned companies such as Blue Breeze Trading Pvt Ltd, North India IT Parks Pvt Ltd, Real Earth Estates Pvt Ltd and Sky Light Realty Pvt Ltd.
Blue Breeze Trading, a company incorporated in 2007 with Vadra and his wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as first directors and equal shareholders, is in the business of chartering aircraft. The company, however, seems to have done little business, apart from acquiring agricultural land. Priyanka Gandhi ceased to be a director as on July 2008. She is no longer a shareholder. Real Earth Estates Pvt Ltd also had a Rs 5 crore loan directly from DLF on its books as on March 2010.
The joint venture firm Saket Courtyard Hospitality had received Rs 3.58 crore of unsecured loans from DLF Hotel Holdings Ltd, the group company that owned 50% stake in the JV. “The business relationship of DLF Group with Robert Vadra has been in his capacity as an individual entrepreneur and on a completely transparent and arms length basis.
Look How The BJP changed its tunes.
@swapan55 is it the person who has held the maximum terms as bjp president
5:12 PM Mar 16th via Twitter for BlackBerry® in reply to swapan55
@bhupendrachaube No
6:04 PM Mar 16th via web in reply to bhupendrachaube
@bhupendrachaube No, wrong number
6:05 PM Mar 16th via web in reply to bhupendrachaube
@swapan55 ok, jai UP
6:12 PM Mar 16th via Twitter for BlackBerry® in reply to swapan55
On March 17, the TOI reported:
Differences were evident at a meeting of BJP leaders in Parliament on Wednesday with some leaders advocating caution while some others felt Congress could be asked some questions on Vadra’s activities. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Saba Sushma Swaraj felt it would not be good form to target family members of political rivals.
Whether or not the possible counter-attack on the BJP’s own son-in-law, Mr Ranjan Bhattacharya, whose name keeps cropping up in Radia tapes and in Wikileaks cables, is one of the reasons for the BJP’s hesitation, has not found a mention in any of the discussions so far.”
See how the elusive Ranjan Bhattacharya, Vajpayee’s son-in-law is tucked in!
No wonder no Media picked the story of Economic Times.
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