Congress Slams ED Chargesheet Against Sonia, Rahul Gandhi: Calls It ‘PM’s Political Vendetta’

Congress Slams ED Chargesheet Against Sonia: On Tuesday, Congress expressed outrage about the Enforcement Directorate's chargesheet against party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case. Party leader Jairam Ramesh claimed it was a case of political vendetta, saying that PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah were using government machinery to intimidate the opposition.

Jairam Ramesh was quoted as saying that the seizure of the National Herald's assets was "state-sponsored crime wearing the cloak of law."

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"Filing chargesheets against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and some others is nothing but the politics of vendetta and intimidation by the PM and the HM gone completely berserk. The INC and its leadership will not be silenced. Satyameva Jayate," Jairam Ramesh posted on X.

This statement emerged a short while after the ED presented before a special court in Delhi a prosecution complaint against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and others. The court will hear arguments on April 25 about whether or not to take cognizance of these charges.

WHAT IS THE CASE?

The case involves alleged financial irregularities in the takeover of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which used to publish the National Herald newspaper, by Young Indian Limited (YIL), which is controlled by the Gandhis.

The ED has alleged that AJL's assets of 2,000 crore were taken over by a malicious manner through YIL. The agency has also said that laundering of alleged proceeds of crime worth 988 crore has happened through the said setup.

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The ED, on April 11, issued notices to registrars of properties in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow where AJL's assets are located, preparing for steps towards taking possession. This came a day after an Authority on Adjudication confirmed a provisional attachment of AJL properties and shares worth 750 crore.

The investigation, which dated back to 2021, is based on a complaint lodged in 2014 by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. He alleged that the Congress leadership acquired AJL's assets for a mere 50 lakh through YIL.

During investigations, the ED claims to have unearthed documents showing further evidence of financial irregularities, such as fictitious donations, advance rents, and inflated advertisement revenues.

Congress has maintained that this is a politically motivated case, aimed at diverting attention from serious issues of national import and targeting the opposition party.

Also Read: ED Chargesheets Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi in National Herald Case