The Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Wednesday, June 1, summoned interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper, officials said. The case was registered recently to probe alleged financial irregularities in the party-promoted Young Indian that owns the National Herald newspaper. The National Herald is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian Private Limited.
The agency, officials said, wants to record the statements of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). ED had recently questioned senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal as part of the investigation.
Reacting sharply to the ED summons, Congress called the ED notice to the Gandhis a "politics of revenge". Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Abbishek 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 that 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."
The issue started in 2012, when BJP leader advocate Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint leveling allegations that Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, were involved in “breach of trust in the acquisition of Associated Journals Limited by Young Indian Limited (YIL)”. Swamy in his complaint had alleged that the YIL had taken over the assets of The National Herald “in a malicious manner to gain profit and assets worth over Rs 2,000 crore.” He had further alleged that the loan given to AJL was “illegal”. The Congress party, meanwhile has said that YIL was created “with an aim of charity and not for any profit”.
(With agency inputs)