National Herald case: Chargesheet against Sonia, Rahul sheer political vendetta: Gehlot

Former chief minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot termed the filing of chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case as “sheer political vendetta”.

Gehlot held a press conference at the party headquarters Rajiv Bhawan in Shimla to talk about the National Herald case. Congress is holding press conferences in 57 cities across the country till April 27 in protest against ED filing chargesheet against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

Gehlot said, “Chargesheet filed against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case has become a joke. The chargesheet is not being made public. No one has received summons”.

He said that the National Herald newspaper was started in 1938 to give momentum to the freedom movement. “Its publication was started by forming Associate General Public Limited Company. Pandit Nehru started the National Herald to give impetus to the freedom movement,” said the Congress leader.

“Newspapers also close down. Similarly, the National Herald also shut down. To overcome that loss, Congress helped this company and gave ₹90 crore in 10 years through 100 transactions. ₹70 crore was spent to pay the pending salaries and allowances of the employees. A new company named Young India was formed so that the employees working in the newspaper could get salary and the newspaper could start”.

Gehlot said, Subramanian Swamy, who had registered a case in the National Herald case, also backed out. ED investigated the case and closed it. “To target the Gandhi family, another FIR and challan were filed on the orders of the government. When the former ED director opposed the second FIR, the director and the investigating officer were changed” said Gehlot whoel adding “Their actions are surprising”.

The former CM alleged that the Modi government is acting against political parties out of a sense of political vengeance.

He said, “National Herald has a total of 6 properties. Out of them, 5 properties cannot be sold. They are being used as leased properties. Still, there are allegations that the Gandhi family has squandered property worth ₹5,000 crore. That property cannot be sold. He said, the company formed by the name of Young India is a non-profitable company. No shareholder can make even a single rupee profit from it.”

Lashing out at BJP, Gehlot said, “Fascist forces have come to power in the country. This is posing a threat to the democracy of the country. No one knows in which direction it will go”.

“The opposition is being treated like an enemy. ED, Income Tax and CBI are being used to suppress the opposition. The ED was also misused in the Electoral Bond case. Ultimately the Supreme Court had to stop it,” he added.

Ultimately truth will come

out, no need to panic: Bindal

BJP state president Rajiv Bindal, while addressing the media in Shimla, claimed that the Congress party’s goal remains nurturing the Nehru-Gandhi family. “Whenever any truth starts coming out in front of the world, the Congress party tries to deny that truth by standing with the Nehru-Gandhi family,” said Bindal.

He added, “Chargesheet has been filed in the National Herald case and after that legal proceedings will be carried out, the truth will come out, so there should not be any need for so much panic”.

In a verbal attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Bindal said, “Rahul has gone to other countries and said that the Maharashtra elections have been rigged. Congress lost in Maharashtra so the EVMs are faulty, Congress won in Himachal so the EVMs are fine. Congress won in Karnataka so the EVMs are fine.”