Mallikarjun Kharge, a leader of the Congress and the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate headquarters in the national capital on Thursday for around eight hours on the money laundering case involving the National Herald newspaper.
On Thursday, around 12:30 pm, the Congress MP arrived at ED headquarters.
Slamming the Centre government over the ED summon, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said, “This is pure harassment. Modi government has created this drama before Congress’s protest rally tomorrow in all states against inflation, unemployment and GST on edibles… many security forces were deployedMallikarjun Kharge yesterday outside Sonia Gandhi’s residence and AICC’s headquarters.”
Kharge informed the Rajya Sabha earlier in the day that the Enforcement Directorate had summoned him while the Monsoon Session of Parliament was still in session, accusing the Central government of trying to intimidate the Congress party.
In a case involving money laundering and the National Herald, the ED has requested that Kharge appear before it. Sonia Gandhi, the interim party leader, and Rahul Gandhi have previously been questioned in relation to the suspected tax evasion.
During the Rajya Sabha’s Question Period, Kharge made a statement.
“I received ED summon, they called me at 12.30 pm. I want to abide by the law, but is it right for them to summon when Parliament is in session? Is it right for the Police to gherao residences of Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi? They are doing it purposely to afraid of us (Congress). We won’t be scared, we’ll fight,” Kharge said.
Kharge’s criticism was addressed by Piyush Goyal, Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, who claimed that the Centre was unrelated.
“The government does not interfere in the work of the law enforcement authorities. Perhaps during their tenure, when their government was there, they might be interfering,” Goyal said.
The union minister claimed that law enforcement organisations were carrying out their duties and taking action against those who had broken the law.
The Young India Limited premises at Herald House in Delhi, which are owned by Associated Journals, the company that handles the outlet, were partially sealed by the ED on Wednesday.
The investigation agency acted a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at 12 sites in the capital and other locations in relation to the National Herald case, in which prominent members of Congress are accused of breaking rules.
The sealing had to be done because Mallikarjun Kharge, the company’s authorised representative, wasn’t present.
Rahul Gandhi, a member of Congress, referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repressive administration as a “intimidation attempt” and characterised the BJP’s shutting of the Young Indian office at the Herald House building as such.
Speaking to the reporters here, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said, “You are talking about National Herald, it’s an intimidation attempt. They think they will be able to silence us with a little pressure…We won’t be intimidated. We are not scared of Narendra Modi. They can do whatever they want…”
In April of this year, the ED interviewed senior Congressman Kharge in this location as part of its investigation into possible money laundering in the National Herald case and recorded his statement in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case involving the National Herald was filed about nine months ago after a trial court took cognizance of an Income Tax department investigation conducted as a result of a private criminal complaint submitted by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013. The case relates to the alleged financial irregularities.
In his suit, the petitioner claimed that Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi each held 38% of Young Indian Pvt Limited (YIL), which had fraudulently purchased the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which produced the National Herald newspaper.
Swamy claimed that the Gandhis misused money and committed financial fraud, alleging that YIL merely paid Rs. 50 lakh to secure the right to reclaim Rs. 90.25 crore that AJL owed to Congress.
The raids were carried out days after Sonia Gandhi, the interim president of the Congress, was questioned by the investigating team on July 27 for about three hours. It was the third time the case’s senior leader had been questioned.
Following Sonia Gandhi’s summons by the ED, Congress members and leaders protested across the nation, charging that the government had mishandled the investigation agency. On July 26, the ED also questioned Sonia Gandhi. She had travelled with her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to the ED headquarters.
According to officials, on that day, the party president was questioned about her relationships with Young Indian Pvt Ltd. and the National Herald newspaper for over 30 minutes.
The Lok Sabha MP for Rae Bareli was questioned regarding the operation and management of the publication as well as the responsibilities of its various office holders. She had already been questioned by ED on July 21.
Rahul Gandhi was questioned by the ED for five days in June. In total, Rahul Gandhi was questioned by the ED for more than 27 hours over the course of three days, from June 13 to June 15, before being called in again on June 20. He was questioned for almost 14 hours on June 20.
On June 13, the Congressman was first deposed before ED investigators working on the investigation.
He first requested a leave of absence on June 16; as a result, he was called on June 17. However, citing his mother Sonia Gandhi’s condition, the senior Congress leader appealed to the ED to request a postponement of his interview.
On June 20, at his request, the ED finally gave him permission to join the investigation.
