New Delhi, June 1: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday summoned Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over the National Herald case, which the Congress claims was closed by the investigating agency in 2015.
"In 2015, the ED closed the National Herald case. But the govt didn't like it and it removed the ED officials concerned, brought in new officials, and reopened the case. This is to divert attention from inflation and other raging problems," Singhvi added.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "We will not get frightened, we will not bow down." "The BJP has in fact disgraced and dishonored the freedom fighters, the stalwarts of the nation and their contribution to the freedom struggle in which their party and their predecessors have no role," Singhvi said adding that this is a weird case of money laundering in which no money is involved. The National Herald case pertains to the alleged misappropriation of assets of over ₹2,000 crores in an equity transaction.
The notice to the Gandhis has been served a few days ago. In April, the ED questioned former Union minister Pawan Bansal and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge in connection with the money laundering probe into the National Herald case. Accusations of cheating, conspiracy, and criminal breach of trust in the acquisition of the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which ran the Congress mouthpiece, National Herald, by Young Indian Pvt Ltd have been leveled in the case.