Cong should stop defending Vadra, order fair probe: BJP

In the wake of fresh charges levelled by social activist Arvind Kejriwal against Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday demanded Congress and UPA ministers stop defending him and order a fair, free and comprehensive inquiry into his business dealings.

BJP alleged that Congress has not gone for any proper inquiry or ensured that the guilty are brought to book in several scams, including the Commonwealth Games and the coal mines allocation scandal and even tried to shield the culprits.

"Till today, no tangible steps have been taken by the government to control corruption even though Congress president Sonia Gandhi had given a five-point sutra to her chief ministers at Burari," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.

She maintained Kejriwal has quoted some Punjab and Haryana high court judgements which deal with the nexus between DLF and Haryana government as well as Vadra.

"But Congress is not going to take any step. Investigations are too much to expect. More so when the finance minister himself has come out in defence of a person, though calling him a private person, on these serious allegations," Sitharaman said.

BJP insisted Vadra is a "politically exposed person" and all his high volume transactions should have been monitored as per the rules.

"Why is it that Congress has rushed to his defence instead of probing the whole matter. This is getting murkier. We demand a comprehensive inquiry.... It is high time Congress stops running away from an investigation... We want a fair and free probe," Sitharaman said.