I can handle negativity, says Vadra as Cong, BJP spar

New
Delhi: Caught in a controversy over allegations that he was favoured by
realty major DLF, Robert Vadra today broke his silence saying he can
"handle all the negativity" even as Congress and BJP sparred over the
issue.

DLF insisted that its "business relationship" with Vadra
or his companies had been conducted in individual capacity as per the
"highest standards of ethics and transparency" and that it had "not
received any undue benefit from any state government or any government
authorities in any part of India".DLF said in a statement that no unsecured loans were provided by it.

Arvind
Kejriwal, who levelled allegations against Vadra, son-in-law of
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, at a press conference here yesterday,
said he was ready to face defamation case if his charges were proved
untrue.

He had alleged that property worth Rs 300 crore was given
at throwaway prices by DLF to companies owned by Vadra with an
unsecured interest free loan of Rs 65 crore from given by the realty
firm.

Without getting into specifics of the allegations, sources
close to Vadra quoted him as saying that he "can handle all the
negativity."Apparently suggesting that he had seen worse situations, he stated, "(I) lost people I loved.. what can be worse". Congress leadership continued to come to Vadra's defence.

Transactions
between two private individuals could not be questioned on the basis of
"implied act of corruption", Finance Minister P Chidambaram said in
Mumbai.

The AICC, too, came in support of the 43-year-old
businessman married to Priyanka Gandhi, with party spokesman Manish
Tewari rejecting demands for a probe into the matter asking "an inquiry
into what?"

BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad told reporters in
Jaipur that "it is the expectation of people of the country that the
matter should be investigated. It should also be probed what benefits
Congress state governments in Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi gave to
Vadra."