New Delhi [India], July 19 (ANI): Congress MP KC Venugopal has strongly criticised the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for filing a chargesheet against businessman Robert Vadra, alleging that the move is a 'malicious smear campaign' orchestrated by the ruling BJP ahead of upcoming elections.

Venugopal in a post on X wrote, 'The INC rejects the ED's latest efforts in a decade-long witch hunt against Mr. Robert Vadra. We have complete faith in the judiciary, and are confident that this malicious smear campaign will be defeated.'

He shared a press statement on X in which he labelled the chargesheet as a 'willful and malicious' attempt to target opposition leaders and divert public attention from the BJP government's shortcomings.

'As the election cycle draws close, the BJP government's nervousness is once again on full display. True to its pattern, the Modi government has unleashed central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate in a desperate bid to intimidate the opposition and divert attention away from its own failures. The chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Robert Vadra is an extension of this willful and malicious agenda,' the statement read.

The statement asserted that the ED action pertains to an old case with no new developments, and accused the Modi government of repeatedly misusing central investigative agencies to malign political opponents.

'This is an old case. And there are no new developments. But like clockwork, the moment elections are in sight, the BJP resorts to misusing the investigative agencies for electoral benefits - targeting opposition leaders to manipulate the narrative,' the statement said.

The statement emphasised that the alleged false accusations against Vadra are part of a 'calculated strategy' to damage his image for electoral gain.

The reaction comes after, ED attached 43 immovable properties worth Rs 37.64 crore linked to Vadra and his entities, as well as filed a prosecution complaint or chargesheet against him and 10 others.

The properties belong to Vadra and his entities, including Sky Light Hospitality Pvt Ltd, officials privy to the development told ANI.

The provisional attachment order was issued on July 16, 2025, as part of an ongoing probe based on an FIR registered by Gurugram Police on September 1, 2018. The case pertains to the alleged fraudulent purchase of 3.53 acres of land in Shikohpur village, Sector 83, Gurugram, by Vadra's firm from Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd on February 12, 2008.

Authorities allege the land was acquired through false declarations and that a commercial license was subsequently obtained using Vadra's personal influence. (ANI)