The Indian National Congress, corruption, extortion, crime and all other illegalities are synonymous with each other. They are synonymous, mind you, only when the Congress party is in the picture. If not, the crimes can be independent functions of the illegal world. Having said that, the Gandhis are among the most notorious ring leaders in the cartel that we refer to as the Congress. This time, it is Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who is facing the heat for trying to extort money out of a banking executive by selling him an alleged painting of famed artist MF Hussain.
Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor has claimed that he was forced to buy an MF Husain painting from Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi. Kapoor made the revelation before the Enforcement Directorate, as part of his statement for the second supplementary charge sheet filed before a special court in Mumbai.
“Buy the Painting if you Want a Padma Bhushan,” Kapoor was Told
Rana Kapoor said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra got late Congress leader Murli Deora, who was the Union Petroleum Minister back then, to coerce him to buy the painting. Kapoor said, “He (Murli Deora) had even made me several calls and messages also in this regard from multiple mobile numbers. In fact, I was very much reluctant to go for this deal and I had tried also to avoid this deal several times by ignoring his calls/messages and personal meetings.”
Kapoor also confessed to the ED that Murli Deora warned him that the refusal to buy the painting would prevent him from being on good terms with the Gandhis and prevent him from getting the Padma Bhushan award.
Guess how much Rana Kapoor paid Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the painting? A whopping Rs 2 crores.
In fact, the now-deceased Ahmed Patel, who was the closest aide of Congress President Sonia Gandhi told Rana Kapoor that he had supported the Gandhi family financially at the right time and that due to his “Good-Deed” for the Gandhi family, he would be seriously considered as a prospective Padma Bhushan awardee.
Proceeds of Sale Used for Sonia’s Treatment
Alleging that the formalities for closing the deal were held at Priyanka Gandhi’s office, Rana Kapoor also revealed how Milind Deora (son of Murli Deora) informed him of the 2-crore cheque being used for the medical treatment of Sonia Gandhi in New York.
Rana Kapoor told the ED that he was coerced into buying the painting, as it was made amply clear to him that not doing so would land him in the bad books of the Gandhis. At a time when the Congress-led UPA was in power at the Centre, that was not a position any sane Indian wanted to be in.
Sonia Gandhi’s husband, Rajiv Gandhi was gifted a painting by MF Hussain in 1985. Back then, he was the Prime Minister of India. So, did MF Hussain give the painting to the Prime Minister’s Office and not Rajiv Gandhi personally? If so, how did the painting get passed on as a generational gift within the Gandhi clan, and how did Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sell a commodity belonging to the Indian Prime Minister’s Office in her personal capacity?
Read more: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is making too much noise and it has everything to do with the Pandora Papers
Whatever the circumstances are, Rana Kapoor’s revelations to the Enforcement Directorate have shown how the Congress party has mastered the crime of extortion. The question now is this: Will the Gandhis be prosecuted for their explicit involvement in the Yes Bank scam?
