New Delhi, 26 Oct

BJP on Saturday accused Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of "non-disclosure of essential information" regarding her and her husband Robert Vadra's assets in her affidavit to contest the Lok Sabha bypoll from Kerala's Wayanad.

BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed that Gandhi is in violation of the Supreme Court's directive to poll candidates to make a full disclosure of their, their spouse's and dependents' assets.

"The Supreme Court order is binding on all citizens. The Gandhi family is not above law. There can be only one outcome. If somebody furnishes wrong information in the affidavit, they have no right to contest elections," Bhatia told reporters here.

The date for a scrutiny of the nominations by poll officials is 28 October and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been targeting the Congress general secretary over her affidavit in the run-up.

Referring to the alleged grab of National Herald assets by the Gandhi family, Bhatia said Priyanka Gandhi's affidavit made no mention of her ownership of shares in Associated Journals through a couple of trusts. This amounts to non-disclosure of essential information, he said.

The affidavit, he added, mentioned Vadra's three firms while omitting his stakes in two other companies. The BJP leader said his charge is based on "irrefutable" documents. He asked Priyanka Gandhi to respond to the allegations to inform the public about her stand on the issue.

The Congress will have to comply with the law or there will be serious consequences, Bhatia said, adding that the BJP will take all necessary and effective steps as it follows the Constitution. The Gandhi family, he alleged, thinks that it can ignore the law and befool people. No one should harbour such an illusion, he added. The bypoll to the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency is scheduled to be held on 13 November.