Congress Condemns ED Chargesheet Against Gandhi Family In National Herald Case
Congress leadership strongly criticizes the Enforcement Directorate's chargesheet against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, calling it political vendetta by the Modi government.
The Congress party has issued a strong rebuke following the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) filing of a chargesheet against party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in connection with the National Herald case. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh characterized the action as politically motivated, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of weaponizing government agencies to target opposition figures.
Ramesh described the seizure of National Herald assets as "a state-sponsored crime masquerading as the rule of law." Taking to social media platform X, he declared, "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."
The ED filed its prosecution complaint before a Delhi special court against the Gandhis along with Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and other individuals. The court is scheduled to hear arguments on April 25 to determine whether to proceed with the charges.
The case centers on alleged financial improprieties in Young Indian Limited's acquisition of Associated Journals Limited, the former publisher of the National Herald newspaper. According to the ED, AJL assets valued at over ₹2,000 crore were inappropriately acquired through YIL, a company under the Gandhis' control. The agency further alleges that approximately ₹988 crore in proceeds of crime were laundered through this arrangement.
On April 11, the ED moved to take possession of AJL properties in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow following an Adjudicating Authority's confirmation of the provisional attachment of AJL assets and shares worth over ₹750 crore.
The investigation stems from a 2014 complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who alleged that Congress leadership acquired AJL's substantial assets for merely ₹50 lakh through YIL. The Congress maintains that these allegations are politically motivated diversionary tactics designed to undermine the opposition.
