Mr Robert Vadra

Being born in a political family makes you a politician yourself, that is a great truism of Indian Politics. It is obvious that people will approach such a person for favors whether he or she obliges such approach is another matter. Being married into a political family is also not too far off. Mrs Sonia Gandhi's first credibility as a politician was that she was married into the most powerful political family in India. Can some wrongdoing be conclusively proved? I do not know but the suspicion that sweetheart deal from DLF to Mr Vadra is on the only grounds that he is related to Mrs Sonia Gandhi and was likely to enter politics himself just like her, is not just a suspicion it is a truism. As Mr Chidambaram has insisted on a quid pro quo he has obviously raised a question which cannot easily be answered. May be it cannot be proved easily, otherwise it would have already been proved. But it is universally understood that a sweetheart deal involving a public person hints at the presence of corruption.

In many countries when you open a bank account you have to disclose if you are related to a public figure. I do not know what the disclosure norms are in India. If we don't have these norms then we should. The debate regarding DLF-Vadra deal should not be limited to Mr Vadra and Congress Party. What can be proved in Mr Vadra's case is a separate issue. If a wrong doing has possibly happened but it cannot be proved, or was not brought to the attention the appropriate institutions well in time and with enough evidence to be acted upon, due to a lack of proper disclosure norms and tracking of earnings and assets of people related to public figures, then that is the moot question. The raising of this issue by India Against Corruption against the first family of Indian politics is just one of the many questions that can possibly be raised about the assets and dealings of many other individuals related to powerful public figures. But nothing can possibly be done as Mr Chidambaram has highlighted if a wrong doing cannot be proved or quid pro quo established. The job of proving an alleged wrong doing is not with a whistle blower it is the job of the agencies responsible for tracing financial impropriety. Do they have the laws, the resources and the freedom to do this?