The BJP on Wednesday lashed out at the criticised Congress for announcing nationwide protests at Enforcement Directorate offices across the country following the investigative agency’s naming of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi as accused numbers one and two in the National Herald Case.
The Enforcement Directorate filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday against Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and others in the alleged National Herald case.
Congress has strongly protested the move, terming it “politically motivated.”
The party started nationwide protests against the BJP-led government in front of ED offices at the district levels in respective states.
Addressing reporters at party headquarters here, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad stated that while the Congress party has the right to stage a protest, it does not have the right to “misappropriate” private property that was given to the National Herald by the government.
“One thing should be kept in mind that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are out on bail. They knocked on the doors of the High Court and Supreme Court to quash the case but did not get any relief… Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi should answer whether the law should be allowed to take its course or not,” he asked.
Mr Prasad said that Narendra Modi’s government will let the law do its work.
”Sardar Patel had said that the kind of people giving money to the National Herald were not good people… Still, why would a newspaper which had the full protection, promotion, and patronage of the Congress party could not at all flourish? Because this newspaper was only an instrument to collect advertisements and to build properties through government cooperation,” he stated.
The BJP leader emphasised that ”the newspaper, which was supposed to strengthen the voice of the people fighting for independence, they turned that newspaper into a private business, an ATM!”
Talking about the history of National Herald and Young India Limited, Prasad alleged that the Opposition party misappropriated the party’s funds and termed it a ‘corporate conspiracy.’
“In 2008, the publication of National Herald was closed, after that Congress gave 90 crores to Associated Journal Limited, which publishes National Herald….a political party cannot give their party’s fund to a private body, that is important to know. That is prohibited,” he said.
Meanwhile, businessman and Congress MP Priyanka Vadra’s husband, Robert Vadra was summoned by the ED for questioning again today. He was questioned by the agency in connection with a Gurugram land deal case yesterday also. He has alleged that there is a ‘witch hunt’ and a ‘political vendetta’ is being carried out against him and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.