Congress hits out at govt as ED summons Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi
The ED has summoned Sonia Gandhi on June 8 in connection with the alleged National Herald money laundering case
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi for questioning in a money laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in Young Indian, which owned the National Herald newspaper.
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said Sonia Gandhi will comply with the summons next week and Rahul Gandhi will go for questioning if he is in New Delhi or may seek a fresh date.
Congress promoted Young Indian Pvt Limited owned the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which published the National Herald.
ED has earlier questioned Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal as part of its investigation into the matter as part of ED’s probe into the share-holding pattern, financial transactions, and role of the promoters of Young Indian and AJL.
The agency registered a fresh case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after a trial court took cognisance of an Income Tax Department probe against Young Indian Pvt Ltd on the basis of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy’s private criminal complaint in 2013.
Swamy accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds with Young Indian Pvt Ltd. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and shareholders of Young Indian.
Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala slammed the government over the summons to the party’s top leaders. He called ED Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “favourite weapon”. “They [BJP government] are experts in the politics of deviating from real issues,” he said. He accused the government of vendetta. “The fake issue [money laundering] of the Associated Journals Limited is an attempt by the BJP’s propaganda machinery to deviate, diverge and digress the attention of citizens from the issues of inflation, falling GDP, and social unrest,” Singhvi said. He added by targeting the National Herald, the BJP has “disgraced, disrespected and dishonoured” the freedom fighters of the country.
Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first Prime Minister, founded the National Herald in 1938 during India’s freedom struggle.
Singhvi referred to the alleged money laundering and said “it is weird” to issue summons where no money is involved. He said the AJL exchanged its debt for equity and launched a non-profit company named Young India Private Ltd. “The process has no involvement in the laundering of money...”
Singhvi accused the BJP of attacking every political party purely on vendetta terms. “The BJP has brought every political opponent under the net of puppet agencies like ED.”