The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday summoned Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party MP Rahul Gandhi to join the probe in a money-laundering case relating to the National Herald, triggering war words between the grand old party and the ruling BJP.
The case has been lodged against various Congress leaders, including the Gandhis, for allegedly misappropriating the National Herald fund.
Initially, the case was lodged with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the ED case is based on the CBI’s case.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has been summoned by the ED in connection with the National Herald case, has requested the probe agency to give him some more time to join the investigation.
Sonia has been summoned on June 8 and Rahul on June 2. Soon after receiving the summons, Rahul wrote to the ED, saying he won’t be able to join the probe tomorrow (Thursday). However, no such request has been made by Sonia and she is expected to join the probe on the given date.
Soon after the summons, an ugly war of words erupted between the ruling BJP and Congress.
Reacting to the ED summons to Sonia and Rahul, the Congress termed it as “politics of revenge”.
Addressing a press conference, Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: “This is a politics of vendetta and revenge by the BJP to target opposition leaders as they have done to other opponents in the country.”
The Congress leaders said there is no case made out of it and its only intention is “malafide”. As there is no money involved in the case, the Congress sources say that the case was closed in 2015.
Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “National Herald newspaper was started in 1942. At that time the British tried to close it, today Modi government is also doing the same thing as the Britishers did. Now the ED is being used for this purpose. The Enforcement Directorate has given notice to our president Sonia Gandhi and former president Rahul Gandhi.”
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi will go to ED office on June 8.”
On being asked about the ED summons to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case during a briefing on Union Cabinet decisions, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said, “Government agencies do their work.”
Launching an attack on Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in connection with the latest ED notice to them in the ‘National Herald’ case, BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda said that it is a clear case of corruption but no guilty person ever concedes that he or she is wrong.
The federal agency’s move followed the questioning of senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Treasurer Pawan Bansal in April this year in New Delhi in connection with its money laundering probe into the National Herald case.
The agency then recorded the statements of both the Congress leaders then under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The National Herald is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian Pvt Limited (YIL). While Kharge is the CEO of YIL, Bansal is the Managing Director of AJL.
The ED is currently investigating the shareholding pattern and financial transactions as well as the role of party functionaries in the functioning of AJL and YIL. The YIL promoters include Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
BJP MP Subramanian Swamy had alleged that the Gandhis cheated and misappropriated funds, with YIL paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to the Congress.
He had filed a complaint with a Delhi court earlier. Following the court taking cognisance of an Income Tax Department probe against YIL on Swamy’s petition, the ED also registered a fresh case under PMLA.