Congress accuses Delhi police of stopping media from entering party headquarters

Ahead of questioning of party president Sonia Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday in National Herald case, Congress has accused Delhi police of stopping media from entering party headquarters for coverage of protest.

Congress General Secretary and media in-charge Jairam Ramesh termed the attempt to stop media from entering party headquarters as high-handedness by the government.

From the early hours of this morning the Delhi Police—obviously taking orders from the Union Home Minister—is preventing the media from entering the Congress party headquarters. This high-handedness was only to be expected and reflects the mindset of the Modi Sarkar.

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 21, 2022

Also read: Revealed – Why Gandhis are in the crosshairs of ED in the National Herald case

The Congress party has planned a massive countrywide protest.

Gandhi (75) was issued a second summons by the federal probe agency for June 23, but the Congress leader could not keep the date as she was "strictly advised to rest at home following her hospitalisation on account of COVID-19 and a lung infection".

Her son and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been questioned by the agency in connection with the case for over 50 hours in sessions spread across five days.

The probe relates to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper.

The move to question the Gandhis was initiated after the ED late last year lodged a fresh case under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), following a trial court here taking cognisance of an income-tax department probe against Young Indian on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2013.

Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and majority shareholders of Young Indian. Like her son, the Congress president too has 38 per cent shareholding in the company.

Swamy had accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds, with Young Indian paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associated Journals Limited (AJL) owed to the Congress.

In February last year, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Gandhis for their response on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader's plea, seeking to lead evidence in the matter before the trial court.

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal were questioned by the ED in connection with the case in April.