 "Sonia Gandhi defends son-in-law Vadra against charges of benami deal")
A transaction is considered benami (nameless or without a name) when the amount for a property that is transferred to a person or is held by him or her is paid by another person.
A combative Gandhi said, "This is a conspiracy for a Congress-free country. What is the meaning of a Congress-free India. Everyday they make new excuses. They level false charges. If there is something, there should be an impartial probe. Everything will become clear."
Gandhi, who was speaking to reporters in her constituency Raebareli, was questioned on an income-tax probe into transactions of an arms dealer and his links with Vadra. The latter’s firm has denied all allegations.
Sonia Gandhi did not mince her words and went onto describe prime minister Narendra Modi as “shahenshah” (emperor). "I have never seen anything like this. A prime minister is there, not an emperor. He is the country's prime minister. Farmers are in trouble. I do not find it appropriate (that government) shows off like this," she said.
Lashing out at the government, Gandhi said, “ Modi's ministers have given him "this stature" and are busy in holding celebrations", Gandhi said deriding the Modi sarkaar's two years in office gala.
The last Parliament session, saw the BJP going all guns blazing against the Gandhi leadership on the Agusta Westland deal.
In the meanwhile, Congress’ Shehzad Poonawalla alleged links between BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh and arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. Poonawalla has written to CBI and Enforcement Directorate demanding a probe into the alleged links between the two.
Launching a full frontal attack, Congress’ spokesperson and senior leader Anand Sharma accused the BJP led government’s “dirty tricks department” of being at work. Rejecting the BJP leaders defence as having “social relations”, Sharma went onto allege that the PMO was involved in maligning the Congress leadership.
Strongly refuting the Congress attack, BJP’s Shrikant Sharma said, "the Congress chief's comments have exposed the farce that Vadra is merely a private person. It has established that he is the Gandhi family and Gandhi family is him."
Siddharth Nath Singh has refuted the connections being alleged between him and Bhandari alleging, "I didn't know that he is an arms dealer. My children and his children went to the same school. Till the raids (at Bhandari's place) I did not know about him (as an arms dealer). I came to know about it from the media and since then there has been no calls. Neither he called nor did I call him up.”