ED attaches National Herald assets: BJP blasts Gandhis, says must pay for ‘sins’

The Gandhi family must pay for its “sins”, the BJP said on Wednesday (November 22), as it blasted the Congress for condemning the seizure of National Herald assets.

Former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad accused the Gandhi family of capturing National Herald’s assets by converting the now defunct newspaper's properties into "personal properties".

Prasad asked the Congress to explain how the action taken against "rank dishonesty and loot of public property" can be described as negation of democracy.

After the ED attached assets of the Congress-promoted National Herald on Tuesday, the Congress said such "petty vendetta tactics" cannot frighten it and dubbed the agency a "coalition partner" of the BJP.

Its leader KC Venugopal denounced the BJP and the probe agencies as "murderers of democracy".

BJP version

Prasad told the media that the daily had prime properties in many cities and alleged that Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi appropriated these as the shares of the firm owning it were transferred to a company where the two Gandhis controlled 76 per cent of shares.

It was a shameful new low in democracy, Prasad said.

He added that both Congress leaders moved the judiciary against the actions of probe agencies, including Income Tax, but did not get relief.

Rejecting the Congress claim that the ED action was an outcome of the BJP's frustration, Prasad claimed that it was the Congress which will be defeated soundly in the ongoing Assembly elections.

Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are facing cheating and forgery charges and are currently on bail, he noted.

"You think that you keep looting but no action should be taken. The family must pay for its sins, corruption and misuse of power," he said.

AAP issues

To a question about the AAP's claim of the BJP targeting its leaders, he said the judiciary has vetted the action taken by probe agencies.

If AAP leaders think proceedings will stop if they make a lot of noise, then they are mistaken, he said.

The Enforcement Directorate alleged that the shareholders and donors of the Congress were "cheated" by the office-bearers of AJL and the party.

The National Herald is published by AJL and owned by Young Indian Private Ltd. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are majority shareholders of Young Indian, holding 38 per cent shares each.

(With agency inputs)