Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, reacted on Thursday to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent “Dalal and Damad” (middlemen and sons-in-law) jibe, stating that the comment was “in poor taste.” The remark was made during a poll rally in Haryana’s Sonipat.
Vadra criticized the prime minister’s language, saying, “The tone that he’s used to say words like Dalal and Damad, I think it’s in poor taste. He’s the prime minister of 1.4 billion people. We expect much more from him.”
At the rally, PM Modi had accused Congress of being “entrenched in corruption,” claiming, “Ten years ago, when there was a Congress government here, the farmers’ lands were looted. The Congress had handed over Haryana to Dalals (middlemen) and Damads (sons-in-law). No job could be attained without cheating, and there was no organisation free of corruption.”
In response to these allegations, Vadra asserted that despite multiple inquiries and notices over the last decade, no wrongdoing has been proven in his business dealings. “I’m quite surprised that once again the Prime Minister has used my name. They’ve had their government in Haryana as well as at the Centre. I know that in the last decade, they have set up commissions (to probe allegedly corrupt deals). They cannot prove anything because there was no wrongdoing in the way my companies have functioned,” Vadra stated.
Vadra suggested that the prime minister’s remarks were an attempt to divert attention from the government’s shortcomings in Haryana. “I think he has nothing else to offer or say for the people of Haryana because the people of Haryana are not happy with this government,” he added.
Expressing optimism about the upcoming Haryana assembly elections, Vadra said, “Congress will do well because the people want change.” Voting in Haryana is scheduled for October 5, with the results set to be announced on October 8.
