Oppn issues statement on Sonia Gandhi's ED summon: 'Will intensify fight against vendetta'

The Opposition on Thursday issued a joint statement condemning the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) summons to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and dubbed the move 'political vendetta'. In the statement, the Opposition claimed that the PM Modi government had unleashed 'a relentless vendetta' against political opponents through misuse of investigative agencies. Furthermore, the parties have vowed to 'intensify its fight against the anti-people Modi Sarkar'. The statement has been undersigned by CPI(M), VCK, TRS, Shiv Sena, RJD, CPI, IUML, RSP, DMK, and J&K NC.

The statement issued by the joint Opposition read, "The Modi Sarkar has unleashed a relentless campaign of vendetta against its political opponents and critics through the mischievous misuse of investigative agencies. Prominent leaders of number of political parties have been deliberately targeted and subjected to harassment in an unprecedented manner. We condemn this and resolve to continue and intensify our collective fight against the anti-people, anti-farmer, anti-Constitution policies of the Modi Sarkar that is destroying the social fabric of our society." 

After repeatedly deferring summons due to ill health, Congress National President Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to appear before the ED today for questioning in connection to a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper. The political tempers are high in Delhi with Congress launching a protest ahead of Sonia Gandhi's questioning even as Section 144 is imposed near the party's HQ.

What is the National Herald case? 

In 2013, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy filed a private criminal complaint wherein he accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds. He specifically highlighted that Young Indian Pvt. Limited paid only Rs.50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs.90.25 crore that Associated Journals Limited (AJL) owed to Congress. On December 19, 2015, the Gandhi mother-son duo got bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs.50,000 each and a surety after the court ruled out apprehension that they will flee the country.

In February 2021, the Delhi High Court issued notice to the Gandhis seeking their response to Swamy's plea seeking to lead the evidence in the matter before the trial court. However, they contended that the plea by the BJP parliamentarian was "misconceived and premature". The ED registered a case under PMLA after a trial court in Delhi took cognizance of the Income Tax probe against Young Indian Pvt. Limited. In 2015, the investigation wing of the I-T department submitted a detailed Tax Evasion Petition against some persons including Rahul Gandhi.

It alleged that the Lok Sabha MP concealed the information that he was the director of Young Indian Pvt. Ltd and one of its largest shareholders while submitting his I-T returns for 2011-12. As AJL had prime properties across India including in Delhi, Mumbai, Patna, Panchkula and Lucknow, Young Indian Pvt Ltd. became the owner of these assets when it purchased the shares of the former. Earlier this year, Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge and former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal were quizzed by the ED in connection with this case.