The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday summoned Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi for deposition on July 21 in connection with the National Herald money-laundering case. Sonia Gandhi was slated to appear on June 23. She was given four weeks’ time as she was hospitalised for a few days after being tested positive for COVID.
Meanwhile, her son Rahul Gandhi has already appeared five times before the central probing agency in the last month in connection with the same case. The national capital witnessed large scale protests from Congress workers, including top Congress leaders such as Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel, as Rahul Gandhi appeared before the ED. Hundreds of Congress workers and leaders were detained as protests in many parts of the national capital created ruckus, stalling traffic at many places. Several Congress workers alleged that they were manhandled by the police, while many party leaders claimed that the Delhi police had barged into the party headquarters in Delhi.
In 2012, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a criminal complaint before a trial court, accusing that senior Congress leaders were involved in the fraudulent takeover of the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper through the Young Indian Ltd (YIL), wherein the Gandhis collectively held majority of the shares (76 per cent).
It was alleged that the Congress had offered an interest-free loan of Rs 90 crore to AJL, which was financially in a poor state. Due to its inability to pay back the loan, YIL acquired all the assets of AJL, worth over Rs 2,000 crore for only Rs 50 lakh. Swamy, in his complaint, alleged that political parties are barred from lending money for commercial purposes, while the Gandhis maintain that they have not profited from the loan.