National Herald case: Congress to protest nationwide against ED summons to Sonia Gandhi

Congress has decided that the party will protest across the country against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government on July 21, the day Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the National Herald case. 

The decision to protest came as an output during the meeting of Congress leaders in Delhi on Wednesday where they decided to hold a country-wide protest against ED summoning Sonia Gandhi. Notably, another significant meeting has been called by the Grand Old Party today (July 14) wherein all the general secretaries, the state in-charges and PCC chiefs will discuss the "Bharat Jodo Yatra" and other party programs. In the meeting, top leaders are likely to discuss the protest march as well as other public outreach programmes.

Sonia Gandhi will face this govt: Congress

Speaking to ANI after the meeting on Wednesday, Congress senior leader and Rajya Sabha member, Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Congress President Sonia Gandhi is a tigress. She is not afraid of these things. She has seen so many things like this. She will go to the ED office and face this Government."

Notably, Sonia Gandhi has been called in by the ED to testify in connection with the National Herald case, in which senior party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal have previously been questioned.

Along with them, the central agency had questioned former Congress President and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi in the case earlier in June for more than five days. During that time, Congress Party leaders and workers protested against the ED and the BJP-led Centre by calling the summons a "vendetta politics" by the saffron party. 

The National Herald case

In the year 2013, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy filed a private criminal complaint wherein he accused Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and several others of ‘misappropriating’ assets of Associated Journals worth over Rs 2,000 crore by ‘paying just Rs 50 lakh’.

In December 2015, both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi got bail by furnishing a personal bond of Rs.50,000 each and a surety after the court ruled out apprehension that they will flee the country. The ED has registered a fresh case against the Gandhi duo under the criminal provisions of PMLA after a trial court took cognizance of an Income Tax Department probe against Young Indian.

(Input with ANI)