NEW DELHI: The political slugfest between the BJP and Congress escalated on Wednesday after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a prosecution complaint against Sonia Gandhi , Rahul Gandhi , and several others in connection with the National Herald money laundering case. As Congress announced nationwide protests outside ED offices, the BJP hit back sharply, accusing the Gandhis of turning a historic newspaper into a private ATM.
“This isn’t just a case of protest, it’s a cover-up,” senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a fiery press conference at the party headquarters. “The Congress party has the right to protest, but it does not have the right to misappropriate government properties and give them to the National Herald,” he said.
Prasad launched into a detailed attack, alleging that a “corporate conspiracy” was devised to transfer valuable public properties across the country—ranging from Delhi’s Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg to Mumbai, Lucknow, Bhopal and Patna—into the hands of the Gandhi family through Young India Ltd.
“Young India was supposed to be a charitable organisation. But what charity has it done? They wrote off Rs 90 crore for Rs 50 lakh and acquired properties worth thousands of crores,” Prasad alleged, calling it “a textbook case of white-collar crime.”
In a biting reference to the history of National Herald, founded during the freedom struggle, Prasad said, “This newspaper, which was supposed to strengthen the voice of people fighting for independence, was turned into a private business—an ATM for the Gandhi family.”
He added, “Let’s not forget, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are out on bail. They went to the High Court and Supreme Court to quash the case but failed. Should the law be allowed to take its course or not?”
The ED’s chargesheet, filed in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), also names Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and other Congress-linked firms. The matter is scheduled for hearing on April 25.
Backing Prasad, BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan said, “This isn’t Indira Gandhi’s Emergency. This is Modi’s Bharat, where nobody is above the Constitution. The Congress is trying to intimidate agencies because it’s scared of being exposed.”
He added, “If there’s nothing to hide, why are they panicking? Truth always triumphs—falsehoods never do.”
But the Congress dismissed the chargesheet as a political stunt. “We want the public to see this for what it is—a fake, baseless, and illegal chargesheet,” said Congress leader Udit Raj. “No one is bigger than the public, and we will go to the people.”
Also read: ED files chargesheet against Sonia, Rahul in Herald case
Andhra Pradesh Congress chief YS Sharmila also waded in, branding the BJP the “Brusht Jumla Party” and accusing it of using the ED and CBI as “personal weapons.” She said, “The BJP is unable to digest the Congress's resurgence. This is not law enforcement—it’s political vendetta .”
In a statement, the Congress called the ED’s actions “a murder of democracy,” adding, “It’s not about the BJP filing a chargesheet against us—the time is coming when the people of India will file a chargesheet against the BJP. People now see how the country is being looted for the benefit of a few like Adani.”
The National Herald case , initiated by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, has long been a political flashpoint. But with court proceedings approaching and tempers flaring on both sides, the case is once again threatening to become a full-blown electoral battlefield.
“This isn’t just a case of protest, it’s a cover-up,” senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a fiery press conference at the party headquarters. “The Congress party has the right to protest, but it does not have the right to misappropriate government properties and give them to the National Herald,” he said.
Prasad launched into a detailed attack, alleging that a “corporate conspiracy” was devised to transfer valuable public properties across the country—ranging from Delhi’s Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg to Mumbai, Lucknow, Bhopal and Patna—into the hands of the Gandhi family through Young India Ltd.
“Young India was supposed to be a charitable organisation. But what charity has it done? They wrote off Rs 90 crore for Rs 50 lakh and acquired properties worth thousands of crores,” Prasad alleged, calling it “a textbook case of white-collar crime.”
VIDEO | Delhi: BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) addresses a press conference over Congress announcing protest outside ED offices across the country over National Herald case.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 16, 2025
"On behalf of the BJP, I wish to clarify at the very outset that though the Congress party has… pic.twitter.com/TEyj0wHNJd
In a biting reference to the history of National Herald, founded during the freedom struggle, Prasad said, “This newspaper, which was supposed to strengthen the voice of people fighting for independence, was turned into a private business—an ATM for the Gandhi family.”
He added, “Let’s not forget, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are out on bail. They went to the High Court and Supreme Court to quash the case but failed. Should the law be allowed to take its course or not?”
#WATCH | Delhi | On ED's prosecution complaint against Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and others in alleged National Herald money laundering case, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad says, "One thing should be kept in mind that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are out on bail. They knocked on… pic.twitter.com/FNZCAPdS4w
— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2025
The ED’s chargesheet, filed in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), also names Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and other Congress-linked firms. The matter is scheduled for hearing on April 25.
Backing Prasad, BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan said, “This isn’t Indira Gandhi’s Emergency. This is Modi’s Bharat, where nobody is above the Constitution. The Congress is trying to intimidate agencies because it’s scared of being exposed.”
He added, “If there’s nothing to hide, why are they panicking? Truth always triumphs—falsehoods never do.”
But the Congress dismissed the chargesheet as a political stunt. “We want the public to see this for what it is—a fake, baseless, and illegal chargesheet,” said Congress leader Udit Raj. “No one is bigger than the public, and we will go to the people.”
Also read: ED files chargesheet against Sonia, Rahul in Herald case
Andhra Pradesh Congress chief YS Sharmila also waded in, branding the BJP the “Brusht Jumla Party” and accusing it of using the ED and CBI as “personal weapons.” She said, “The BJP is unable to digest the Congress's resurgence. This is not law enforcement—it’s political vendetta .”
In a statement, the Congress called the ED’s actions “a murder of democracy,” adding, “It’s not about the BJP filing a chargesheet against us—the time is coming when the people of India will file a chargesheet against the BJP. People now see how the country is being looted for the benefit of a few like Adani.”
The National Herald case , initiated by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, has long been a political flashpoint. But with court proceedings approaching and tempers flaring on both sides, the case is once again threatening to become a full-blown electoral battlefield.
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