A day after businessman Robert Vadra, the husband of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, indicated in a Facebook post that he was ready for a "larger role in serving the people", posters emerged in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad urging him to go along with it and contest the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Days after his wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra entered active politics, the businessman takes centre-stage in the posters that have smaller images of his in-laws, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
"Robert Vadraji, you are welcome to contest from the Moradabad Lok Sabha seat," said the posters credited to the "Moradabad Youth Congress".
Of late Union Minister and BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "Yeh jo P-R(Priyanka-Rahul) siyasi circus hai,us P-R siyasi circus mein joker ki entry baaki thi aur joker ki entry ab dikhayi pad rahi hai." Naqvi referred to Robert Vadra as a joker and said that he was missing from the "P-R political circus" (referring to Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi).
The announcement was also mocked by several other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, which has relentlessly targeted the 49-year-old since his name was linked to several corruption cases. Vadra is currently being questioned in a money laundering case. His name has surfaced in other cases involving land deals.
Vadra, a controversial figure because of allegations of shadowy land deals in Haryana and Rajasthan when the Congress was in power, has been very active on social media platforms and has used it frequently to hit back at the Narendra Modi-led BJP government accusing it of launching a 'political witch hunt' to malign his reputation.
Moradabad, currently with the ruling BJP, is a coveted seat for the Congress. Former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin, who won the seat in 2009, is believed to be keen on contesting from the town famous for its handicrafts and exports.
The Congress is contesting alone in Uttar Pradesh after being snubbed by the Mayawati-Akhilesh Yadav combo, which, with 80 parliamentary seats, is the holy grail for parties as they seek power at the centre.
Here is the full text of Robert Vadra's Facebook post on Sunday:
