from Our Bureo
New Delhi :T:he Enforcement Directorate has summoned both Congress President Sonia Gandhi (75) and her son Rahul Gandhi (51) for alleged money laundering in case of the National Herald newspaper group and Young India Pvt Limited that owns it.
Sonia has been asked to appear at the ED headquarters here on June 8 for questioning while Rahul has been asked to appear at the earliest. Both are promoters and shareholders of Young India. The Congress on Wednesday said both Gandhis will comply with the ED summons issued on the concocted and false grounds.
Senior Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court, told a Press conference here, along with chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala, that the charge of money laundering is nothing but politically motivated and false.
Where is the case of the money laundering when there is no transfer of money or property, Singhvi asked, pointing out that the legal action is going on against the National Herald since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. Since nothing came out of the case even after seven years that was not liked by those in power and so the government transferred the officials and forced a new case against the Gandhis.
Singhvi and Surjewala said: “We shall not be frightened or bow before such devious acts of ED. We shall face them couragiously as the truth will never bow down.”
They said the Gandhis and the Congress are not at all frightened from such notices the government ordered to cover up its failure on all fronts and mislead the nation on the day the Congress ended its Azadi Gaurav Yatra at Rajghat here, with Sonia in attendance as if something wrong has been done by the Gandhis.
The Congress duo said it is the same National Herald newspaper that was started by Jawaharlal Nehru and other top Congress leaders in 1937 to fight the British rulers who even banned it. The newspaper’s motto was “Azadi in danger, protect it with full force” and the same motto is followed by the Congress till todate.
The BJP that had supported the British rulers are now conspiring to suppress “azadi ke andolan ki awaz” (voice of freedom struggle) and heading the conspiring is none else but PM Modi himself and he is using ED as his pet, Surjewala said.
Singhvi said the Congress had given loans totaling Rs 90 crore to the Associatd Journals Limited, which spent Rs 67 crore in clearing the employees’ dues and remaining in paying rent, electricity bills and upkeep of its building. He said any loan given by a political party is neither a crime nor illegal ahd this was also clarified by the Election Commission in its letter dated November 6, 2012.
For want of income from the National Herald, the Associated Journal gave its shares to Young India, a “not for profit” company. Singhvi said Young India’s managing committee members — Sonia, Rahul and late Congress treasurer Motilal Vora — can’t take profit, dividend or salary nor can they sell its shares. It is to make clear that National Herald, Associated Journal and Young India are not only the Congress assets but actually the nation’s assets.
Singhvi said BJP leader Dr Subramanian Swamy had also filed a case against the Congress for giving loan to the National Herald in 2013-14 and it is still pending in the court.
Surjewala said ED is nothing but a pet of PM Modi who has been letting it loose on the opposition leaders. He said notices to the Gandhis show that the dictator is frightened from the Congress Chintan Shivir mounting a movement to oust him from power in 2024.
