Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and party MP Rahul Gandhi had been summoned by the ED(Enforcement Directorate) for questioning in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper , party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters on Wednesday.
Owned by the Young Indian Pvt Ltd National Herald is regarded as the Congress’ mouthpiece. Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have been summoned to the federal agency, while Sonia Gandhi on June 8; Rahul Gandhi to appear earlier.
Surjewala asserted that BJP have been using the ED to target the opposition parties’ leaders.
He then quoted “ED is PM Modi’s ‘paaltu’ and favourite. This is being done to divert attention from issues concerning the public.This government is indulging in vendetta politics”.
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed that the “fake issue of AJL(Associated Journals Limited) is an attempt by BJP’s propaganda machinery to deviate the attention of citizens from various issues like falling GDP, inflation and other issues”.He added”The Modi government should know that by registering such fake and fabricated cases, they cannot succeed in their cowardly conspiracy”.”Neither will the EC be able to stop the National Herald, the voice of the freedom movement,nor will it be able to scare Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi”.He went on adding”The Congress leadership is fearless and ready to present itself before the probe agency. We will not be afraid of such tactics, we will not bow down, but we will fight hard legally, socially and politically”.
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal had been questioned recently as a part of the investigation.Swamy had accused Sonia, Rahul and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds with Young Indian Pvt Ltd paying only Rs 50 lacs to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to the Congress.
The Delhi High Court had issued a notice to the Gandhis for their response on Swamy’s plea seeking to lead evidence in the matter before the trial court last year in February. They, however, alleged that the plea by Swami was “misconceived and premature” in the Delhi High Court.
other accuses in this case filed by Swami are Suman Dubey and technocrat Sam Pritoda.But they claimed that they were innocent and did nothing wrong.
National Desk, Ne India News
