China, UAE funds: ED to send 10-point questionnaire to Sonia Gandhi

The Congress president and the chairperson of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Sonia Gandhi, is being sent a 10-point questionnaire by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking details of funds allegedly received by the foundation and other trusts, from China and the UAE. Notices would also be sent to the directors of the foundation and various trustees.

 The decision was taken at the first meeting of the Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Committee (MDMC) on Thursday. The committee is chaired by newly appointed Special Director of ED (Central Region) Vivek R. Wadekar.

Other members are representatives of six government agencies, namely, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Excise, Income Tax, Foreign Contribution Regulatory Body, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs represented by a Deputy Secretary,.

The meeting was held at MTNL Building, near Ram Lila Grounds, in New Delhi. The committee held discussions to prepare a plan of action to probe the fund flow from the two countries into the NGO and the trusts. The terms of the probe were also framed in the meeting.

On Wednesday (July 8), the government surprised everyone by announcing the probe through Twitter. The spokesman of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs put out a tweet announcing the probe against the Gandhis.

MHA sets up inter-ministerial committee to coordinate investigations into violation of various legal provisions of PMLA, Income Tax Act, FCRA etc by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust & Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.

Spl. Dir of ED will head the committee.

— Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) July 8, 2020

The tweet said: “MHA sets up inter-ministerial committee to coordinate investigations into violation of various legal provisions of PMLA, Income Tax Act, FCRA, etc by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust & Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. Special Director of Enforcement Directorate will head the committee.”

The decision, taken at a political level, was kept under wraps though preparations had started in the past few weeks. This is being seen as direct response to personal attacks launched by Rahul Gandhi against the Prime Minister. Rahul, in his tweets, had lambasted the government for the crisis on the China border.

One of the tweets said: “Narender Modi is actually Surender Modi,” implying the prime minister had surrendered before the Chinese.

Narendra Modi

Is actually

Surender Modihttps://t.co/PbQ44skm0Z

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 21, 2020

Though Rahul Gandhi has been repeatedly attacking the Prime Minister, this particular tweet rattled the BJP with several senior leaders including party president J.P. Nadda strongly countering it.

The investigating agencies are likely to question the officials and trustees of the Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi Foundations. They may seize accounts and records. The committee has been given a three-month period to complete the probe.

To a question whether Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka Gandhi would be called for questioning, an ED source said, “a final decision will rest with Vivek Wadekar.” But detention or arrest of any trustees is unlikely, said a source.

Mr Modi believes the world is like him. He thinks every one has a price or can be intimidated.

He will never understand that those who fight for the truth have no price and cannot be intimidated.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 8, 2020

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has reacted to the probe. In a tweet, he said, “those who fight for the truth have no price and cannot be intimidated.”