The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday alleged that the Gandhi family attempted to extort Rs 7 crore in return for an assembly election ticket in Haryana. The accusation was made during a press briefing at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi and is based on claims from a former Haryana Congress leader’s husband, who has shared alleged evidence in this regard.

According to BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari, the evidence involves WhatsApp chats that were made public by Gaurav Kumar, the husband of a former Haryana Women Congress general secretary. These chats reportedly include messages between personal assistants (PAs) of senior Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and are being presented as “prima facie proof” of wrongdoing by the Gandhi family.

Speaking to reporters, Bhandari said, “Today, we are presenting before you a prima facie proof of corruption by Priyanka Vadra, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.” He explained that the chats show how the Gandhi family tried to demand Rs 7 crore from the couple in exchange for giving his wife a ticket from the Bawal assembly seat in Haryana.

Bhandari added that “Gaurav Kumar has brought to light how the Gandhi family tried to extort Rs 7 crore from the couple” through intermediaries. He alleged that the personal assistants of senior Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K C Venugopal and K Suresh were involved in the communication where the demands were made.

The BJP spokesperson accused the Gandhi family of using Venugopal as a front to seek money in exchange for a political ticket. Bhandari also claimed that the silence from the Gandhi family on this matter so far was tantamount to “an admission of guilt.”

Bhandari further stated, “For the past few days, the country has been discussing how the Gandhi-Vadra family is compromised and corrupt.” He insisted that the WhatsApp chats shared by Kumar were clear evidence and that the BJP was exposing this supposed corruption.

At the time of the BJP’s statements, there was no immediate response or reaction from the Congress party to these allegations, and they have not denied or commented on the claims publicly.

The BJP’s charge did not include the name of the former Haryana Women Congress leader whose husband made the claim. Bhandari also did not clarify whether the alleged extortion bid was related to the 2024 Haryana assembly elections, leaving some specifics of the case unclear.

The BJP has described the matter as a major example of alleged corruption linked to the Gandhi family’s political activities, aiming to draw public attention ahead of future electoral contests.