Congress plays Priyanka Gandhi card to take sting off Robert Vadra's ED questioning

High drama was witnessed in New Delhi on Wednesday as the Congress deployed one of its biggest cards to take the heat away from Robert Vadra's high-profile appearance and summoning by the Enforcement Directorate. 

Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra dropped off her husband Robert at the ED, and as he went inside to face questioning by the probe agency in connection with a money laundering case relating to alleged posession of illegal foreign assets, she proceeded to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) HQ where she promptly took charge in her official capacity as party general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East.

Robert Vadra, formerly a self-and-party-described 'private citizen' had been under the spotlight virtually the entire day, right since posters of himself, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi in Congress colours appeared outside the Congress headquarters, only to be removed by the NDMC. 

Shortly after Republic TV's exclusive newsbreak regarding the alleged involvement of Robert Vadra's aides - entailing questions being posed to Manoj Arora and CC Thampi - the BJP had issued a press conference where numerous allegations were levelled at Vadra over numerous high-end properties allegedly owned by proxy aides (as per the BJP) in London.

At about 4 pm, when Robert Vadra departed his residence for the Enforcement Directorate, Priyanka Vadra was with him in the car. She dropped him off at the agency, and as he went off for his questioning, she went to the Congress party headquarters, where seemingly amid some amount of fanfare, she assumed the role of Congress general secretary - her first official post with the grand old party.

Photos from her office show Priyanka Gandhi holding a meeting with two persons, with a political map of Uttar Pradesh hanging on the wall. The only statement she is believed to have made is "I stand with my family."

Republic TV has also accessed exclusive inside details of the questioning of Robert Vadra by the ED. It will be divided into three parts:

1. The first part is over his relations with Manoj Arora, Sumit Chadha, CC Thampi and Sanjay Bhandari. In this, he will be confronted with emails and statements of Manoj Arora made under the PMLA.
2. Next would be about 8-9 properties in London - three villas and six flats - the transactions for all of which happened between 2005-10. 
3. The third part of the questioning would be about the alleged kickbacks, purportedly over defence and petroleum deals.