NEW DELHI: These two sons-in-law from the Gandhi family are like chalk and cheese. One had raised his voice against corruption and the other is alleged to have benefited from corrupt practices.

Feroze Gandhi, husband of Indira Gandhi and son-in-law of Jawaharlal Nehru, was the first MP of Independent India elected from Rae Bareli. During his second term in Parliament, Feroze was quite vociferous and raised corruption issues against the Nehru government sitting in the treasury benches. His strong anti-corruption crusade in the Lok Sabha led to several embarrassing moments for the then PM. It not only dented the image of Nehru but resulted in his finance minister T T Krishnamachari resigning over the Haridas Mundhra scandal in which the government was accused of favouring stock broker Mundhra by allowing state-owned LIC to invest in his defunct stocks.

Feroze might have caused a big embarrassment to Nehru, but Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, seems to have become a political liability for the party. Vadra is facing allegations of wrongdoings in land deals.

The 2014 elections have a few similarities with the 1952 and 1957 elections when Feroze had fought polls and was elected. In the first elections of Independent India, Feroze Gandhi's election manager was Indira. Sonia is seeking reelection for the third term from Rae Bareli, nursed by her motherin-law and late former PM Indira Gandhi. Like Priyanka campaigning for her mother this time, it was Indira who had worked hard for her husband.

In contrast to Indira running a rather smooth campaign for her husband, Priyanka is battling corruption charges against her husband. BJP has accused Vadra of using the family influence to acquire lands across Haryana and Rajasthan. Allegations against Vadra have come in addition to a series of corruption charges against the UPA government.

Indira represented Rae Bareli twice in 1967 and in 1971 but was defeated by Raj Narain in 1977, the first post-Emergency elections in which Janata Party routed Congress.

Though in the 1980 elections, Indira was re-elected from this seat, she chose to retain the Medak seat in Andhra Pradesh from where she had contested along with Rae Bareli.

This constituency had since remained a stronghold of the Gandhis. Except for 1977 and 1996, Rae Bareli has remained with Congress since Independence.

Sonia Gandhi was elected from Rae Bareli in 2004 and 2009 and also in the by-elections of 2006 when she quit and sought reelection after office-for-profit allegations.

TNN