Robert Vadra said he was being subjected to a 'political witch-hunt'.
For years now, Robert Vadra has been bitterly criticized and condemned for his business dealings and connections. Despite provocations, he has chosen to keep quiet over the years about his life and controversies that surround him. Here is his first public interview to the Press Trust of India.
Question-1: You have been in the news almost constantly over the last few years, a lot of which has been negative. A series of allegations have been leveled against you. How do you react to this kind of criticism?
Answer: I think "criticism" is putting it mildly. I have faced a sustained political attack over the last few years. It has been difficult at times, to come to terms with the way I have been portrayed. Perception about me seems to have become so deeply embedded that it seems as if the truth does not matter to anyone anymore. I won't pretend. It's hard to cope with, especially when I see how hurtful it is to my children who are still very young. But I actually find that it is making us all stronger. The more they hound me, the more apparent it is becoming that they are using their attacks on me as a political tool whenever they need to divert public attention. What I have or have not done, is in the public domain for everyone to see. Even the so-called facts forming part of media campaigns were based on information that I had myself provided to the ROC and other agencies. For example, debates have repeatedly been held on why I sold certain portions of land for a profit in an area where every single other buyer and seller of land made the same if not more profit during the same period of time. Those other transactions were never debated. I have always conducted my business strictly in accordance with the law and been more than transparent, why am I being singled out?
If I had been a hypocrite and moulded myself to fit into the kind of person they expected I should be, being married into this family- worn a kurta pyjama and chappals, and made a pretense of myself, then maybe it would be different. I have stuck to being who I am. When I was younger, I drove a souped up car, I liked dressing well, I was an extrovert. When my father was one of the first people in our area to buy a Toyota in the eighties, we were proud, we didn't hide it in our garage. Why should I have changed any of that just to fit into someone else's view of me? I remain the same today. It's just easier to attack someone who isn't apologetic about being himself, tags stick more easily. Its easier to call me flamboyant, arrogant, spoilt....because I don't make a pretense of myself. If I go to source my goods in old Delhi and travel quietly on rickshaws, or do service at an institution for the under privileged, I don't take selfies and paste them all over to create a particular image. I actually live a regular life, very different from what is intentionally portrayed in the media but I don't make a show of it. In the last few years though, my convictions have become stronger. I have never misused my association with my wife's family and I never will. If you ask me what makes me take "criticism" positively, it is that I know the truth and I believe in time, people will see it too.
Question-2: You spoke about your family and children. How does your family, especially your children react to the negative publicity about you?
Answer: My children are at the age where they read and understand everything. The negative publicity affects them a lot. As parents, we can't protect them from everything and part of their upbringing is for us to teach them how to face these things squarely. My children have a very different childhood from the carefree and happy childhood I had.
In fact, one day my son asked me why I never counter anything that is said of me. In hindsight, I think it was a mistake to keep quiet when all the lies about me were being spread. I should have put the facts out for people to see. I didn't realize the extent to which they would be distorted and how easily they would be twisted into complete fabrications. I kept thinking that just because I had done no wrong or violated any law, lies would not stick. But they did.
The day my son asked me that, I decided to put my views across on my Facebook page. Recently, when the government tried to portray me as enjoying being on the VVIP list at airports, I wrote exactly what I had thought about it all along. I think some people, even if it was just a handful, did realize that I never "enjoyed" the special treatment. In fact, I had never availed of it. All it did was embarrass me every time I walked through an airport. I was horrified when I first saw it. The security agencies had it done for their own convenience. I am not a VIP nor do I want to be treated like one.
Question-3: You are a doting father. Tell us something about your children and their upbringing?
Answer: I am extremely involved in our children's upbringing. Both of us believe that they should have as simple a childhood as possible under the circumstances. Putting our son in boarding school was a tough decision, but we did it because we wanted him to grow up as normally as possible. We wanted him to live in a spartan environment, to manage like everybody else does. Raihan, is now 15, he is a soccer player and a shooter. He also loves wildlife and is extremely fond of reading and photography. My daughter Miraya is 13. She studies in New Delhi and is playing State level basketball besides writing beautifully. Both of them share my love for music and are very close to me. I make sure I attend most PTMs and school functions but more than all that, we are friends. They are my strongest support and frankly, they are the reason I stay smiling.
Question-4: Contrary to the common perception about you, you come across as an easygoing personality. What is the reason for this difference in perception and actual persona?
Answer: Unfortunately, perception about me is far from the truth. It appears to be more influenced by political agendas than who I am as a human being. I grew up like most other people of my background did. My father worked hard for a living. He built his business single handedly with the support of my mother who brought my siblings and me up while pursuing her own profession as a teacher. My parents did well socially and financially. My father's business won National awards, but we were never in the public glare. Since my marriage to Priyanka, I have been exposed to a completely different kind of life and a new set of experiences but those experiences have not changed my values. My upbringing, the values I was taught and the experience of living as most ordinary people do; still remain my greatest teachers. I am comfortable with people regardless of their backgrounds because I understand their lives and I understand the struggles they face. Yes, I am easy going, because I cannot take things literally. One has to have a sense of humour about life, otherwise the things I have had to face would feel immense and insurmountable.
Question-5: There is an inquiry into your business deals in Haryana and Rajasthan. Recently there were reports on an ED notice being sent to your companies. How do you react to these developments?
Answer: As I said earlier, there is a clear-cut political witch-hunt. Yes, there is an inquiry on in Haryana. I have not received any notices so far but have read the media reports. I will deal with the notices from the inquiry and the ED as and when I receive them. Since these proceedings involve legal issues, I would not like to make any comment on them at this stage. I have the highest respect for the process of law and am confident that the truth will eventually prevail over any political witch-hunt. I do wish that the media would make a distinction between me as an individual conducting a business as anyone else would, and my wife's family in politics without constantly attempting to link the two.
Question-6: You were severely criticized for aggressively brushing aside a journalist when he questioned you some time back. What do you have to say about it? Why did you do it?
Answer: I didn't intend any offence to him at all. It was just that I was completely taken unaware. I was invited to the inaugural function of a gym. The last thing I wanted was to create a scene for the organizers or to embarrass and offend my hosts. They had graciously invited me to a happy occasion and it seemed out of place and inappropriate to start giving interviews at the venue. Also, the part that wasn't shown on TV was the aggressive insistence of the gentleman questioning me. Perhaps, I got more worked up over it than I should have. I regret that, but I am human too, and cannot always remain calm in the face of all sorts of wild accusations being directed at me. I wish him all the best.
Question-7: What's your view on today's political and social atmosphere in the country?
Answer: I generally stay away from politics but just as an ordinary citizen, I feel that the prevailing social disturbance in our country is very sad. India is a country for all of us, regardless of our castes, our cultures and our religions. There are so many multi cultural, multi religious families today. My own is a case in point. My father was a Punjabi Hindu and my mother is a Catholic. How can we start separating ourselves from one another? India is not only one of the world's most ancient civilizations but is also one of the youngest countries in the world. The young need to be free to make their own choices and express themselves. It is the only way for a society to flourish and progress. To try to control freedom, expression and the rights of individuals to practice their own religions, or to live and eat and pray as they wish to, is an outdated idea. It stops progress and stunts development.