The Congress party has strongly reacted to a charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case. Congress has called this move a clear case of political vendetta.
Senior Congress leader and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the case is fake and baseless. He added that the charge sheet will be fully challenged in court. Other opposition parties also criticized the ED’s action and said the agency is being misused to target political rivals.
Congress Plans Nationwide Protests
The Congress leadership has already discussed the legal response with Singhvi, who will represent the Gandhis in court. The party has also planned nationwide protests. All Congress state units have been instructed to protest outside ED offices from Wednesday. A letter from party general secretary KC Venugopal called on all leaders and workers to join and show their opposition to what they describe as the Modi government’s political vendetta and intimidation.
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BJP Rejects the Allegations
The BJP denied the Congress’s claims. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said this case began in 2012, before PM Narendra Modi came to power, and that the Congress should not politicize a legal issue. He called it a technical matter and said there is no reason to call it political vendetta.
Congress Calls It a Distraction Tactic
Venugopal also posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying the government is using such tactics to distract from real issues affecting the people. He said the Gandhi family has given a lot for the country and won’t be intimidated by such actions. He also said the Congress will continue protesting across the country.
What Is the National Herald Case About?
The case involves Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), which publishes the National Herald newspaper. The Congress had given AJL a loan of ₹90 crore, which AJL couldn’t repay. Later, a new not-for-profit company called Young Indian was created to manage AJL’s affairs. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi own 76% of Young Indian, which took over AJL by paying just ₹50 lakh.
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Congress leaders argue that this was just an internal arrangement, with no profit, no property transfer, and no illegal money involved. Singhvi explained that shareholders in such a company don’t own any property and that the law clearly allows such setups.
Opposition Leaders Support Congress
Trinamool MP Sagarika Ghose also said the ED is being used as a weapon against opposition parties. She questioned why the ED never investigates BJP leaders. Independent MP Kapil Sibal also defended the Gandhis, saying there’s no offence or crime in this case and that the government is trying to weaken the Congress.
He called it a clear assault on democracy and said the goal is to paralyse the opposition.
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