What is the National Herald case? Why is the ED questioning Sonia Gandhi?
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. (India Today Photo)
Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the National Herald case on Thursday.
She reached the ED office along with her daughter Priyanka Gandhi, son Rahul Gandhi and a few other Congress leaders.
The Congress is protesting against the BJP-led government saying that they are misusing the ED.
The ED had earlier accepted Sonia Gandhi's written request seeking deferment of summons after she tested positive for Covid.
Earlier, the federal probe agency had questioned Rahul Gandhi for over 50 hours in five days at the agency's headquarters in Delhi.
What is the National Herald case? The probe is related to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian company that owns the National Herald newspaper, published by the Associated Journals Limited (AJL).
- The questioning of the senior Congress leaders and the Gandhis is part of the investigation to understand the shareholding pattern, financial transactions and role of the promoters of Young Indian and AJL, ED officials have said.
- BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2012 had accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds with Young Indian Pvt Ltd paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd owed the Congress.
- In 2014, the Enforcement Directorate initiated a probe to see if there was any money laundering in the case. On September 18th, 2015, it was reported that the Enforcement Directorate had reopened its investigation into the National Herald case, reported India Today.
- The ED recently registered a fresh case after a trial court took cognisance of an income-tax department probe criminal complaint filed by Swamy.
Congress protests: Congress party workers have staged nationwide protests over the questioning of Sonia Gandhi by the ED. Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Congress leader Sachin Pilot and many other party leaders and workers have been detained.
#WATCH Delhi | Congress workers detained in the wake of protest over ED probe against Sonia Gandhi in National Herald case pic.twitter.com/4XbRQuhCZA
— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2022
"The government is misusing central agencies against Congress and they are trying to defame Sonia Gandhi," said Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole.
Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar said that there was no need to summon her. "They are only harassing her," ANI reported him as saying.
Delhi | The kind of personality & aura she (Sonia Gandhi) has and since she is more than 70 years old, ED should have gone to her house for investigation. I want to meet the chief of ED & CBI and tell them what people are thinking about central agencies: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot pic.twitter.com/pXQvbcm2rl
— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2022
BJP hits back: The BJP hit back at the Congress saying that the protests by the party is not a 'satyagrah'. "When a family is keeping the party's property in its own pocket, the protests are an aversion to save them," said BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad.
सोनिया गांधी से ED के द्वारा होने वाली पूछताछ के विरोध में कांग्रेस पार्टी का आज सत्याग्रह है।
— BJP (@BJP4India) July 21, 2022
ये सत्याग्रह नहीं, देश के कानून और देश की संस्थाओं के खिलाफ दुराग्रह है।
सोनिया गांधी और राहुल गांधी इस मामले में बेल पर हैं। इन पर धोखाधड़ी का भी आरोप है।
- श्री @rsprasad pic.twitter.com/vxaFdy8TkA
He went on to say that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are out on bail and that they have lost the case in Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court.