Robert Vadra

Robert Vadra (born 18 April 1969) is an Indian entrepreneur, and the husband of Priyanka Gandhi. He is the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi and the brother-in-law of Rahul Gandhi.

Early life and family
Robert Vadra was born to Rajendra and Maureen Vadra on 18 April 1969. His father's family is of Punjabi descent settled in Moradabad district, Uttar Pradesh. His paternal family is originally from Sialkot in present-day Pakistan. Rajendra's father moved to India at the time of partition. His mother Maureen (née McDonagh) is of Anglo Indian origin, with roots stretching back to Scotland. Rajendra was a resident of Civil Lines, Moradabad and ran a diamond trading along with brass and wood handicrafts business. Rajendra Vadra has only completed his high school education.

Robert Vadra's brother Richard died by suicide and his sister Michelle died in a car accident in 2001. His father was found dead on April 3, 2009 in City Inn, a guest house in the Yusuf Sarai area of Delhi.

Politics
In January 2002, Vadra issued a notice in print newspaper distancing himself from his father and brother as they were misusing his relationship with the Nehru–Gandhi family to make money while promising jobs and other favours. Following this, Sonia Gandhi, the then Congress president also issued a notice to all Congress CMs, state unit heads and senior party members to stay away from Vadra and his family.

Until 2012, while Vadra was mostly in the background, he became a target for several opposition parties after the 2012 anti-corruption movement, India against corruption made allegations against him. These allegations got further politicization after several instances of Congress party spokespersons defending allegations on Vadra, stating he was a soft target.

While Vadra is not into active politics he has been actively campaigning for his brother-in-law Rahul Gandhi and mother-in-law Sonia Gandhi. In the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, he campaigned actively across India for several candidates. Recently on his 50th birthday, when asked about his intent to join active politics, Vadra stated it would happen 2–3 years later.