Congress President Sonia Gandhi Called for Questioning in Financial Crime Case
If Congress believes that ED is questioning its leaders in a false case, it should make a web compendium to publicly make its position clear instead of making vague statements in press conferences held on Twitter.
By Rakesh Raman
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India – which investigates serious financial crime cases – has asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi to appear for questioning in an alleged money laundering case on July 21.
Sonia Gandhi, 75, who was asked to appear on June 23, had requested the ED to defer her hearing as she was admitted in a hospital after catching Covid infection. Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi are being questioned by ED in the money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.
While Rahul Gandhi appeared in multiple ED hearings in June, Congress is accusing the government of prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi of implicating Congress leaders in a false case.
Instead of responding to the ED summons properly, Congress had asked its workers to protest on the streets across the country so that a confusion could be created around the ED’s action.
Rahul Gandhi and top Congress leaders keep sitting on Twiiter idly to curse Modi from morning to evening. These lethargic leaders never come on streets when the Modi government unleashes terror on citizens – particularly Indian Muslims who are being attacked violently and whose houses are being bulldozed.
These dishonest and lazy Congress leaders never protested in streets against the Modi government’s misdeeds that have led to unprecedented inflation, unemployment, human rights abuses, and extreme misery for 1.4 billion Indians. They only tweet and go to sleep while Modi is running the country as a despotic leader.
But the selfish Congress men and women protested vigorously on the roads for a couple of days in June to create a ruckus with the aim to threaten the ED so that it exonerates Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
Although Congress claims that the Modi government is using the ED to implicate its leaders, there is enough prima facie evidence to suggest that the Congress leaders may be involved in the financial crime.
MONEY LAUNDERING CASE
Both Congress leaders are being questioned by ED in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper. The probe agency seeks to record the statements of Congress leaders under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for the alleged financial irregularities in their closely held company, Young Indian.
The National Herald is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian. Although Congress claims that it is a fabricated case in which its top leaders are being targeted, the party has not given any explicit proof of their innocence.
If Congress believes that ED is questioning its leaders in a false case, it should make a web compendium to publicly make its position clear instead of making vague statements in press conferences held on Twitter.
Similarly, the ED should also hold the investigation in a transparent manner and live-stream the hearings with Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. Thus, the investigating agency will not be accused of collusion with the ruling party of führer Modi to harass Modi’s political rivals.
In 2018, the Delhi High Court had dismissed the petition filed by AJL linked with Congress and observed that the order passed by the government justifies the re-entry of the premises at 5-A, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi.
According to a statement released by India’s Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, the court has further ordered that there is no impediment in the way of the government to invoke the provisions of PP Act [ The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971 ] to seek eviction and vacant possession of the property within a period of two weeks by 03.01.2019.
CORRUPTION IN THE DEAL
The case – filed by an Indian politician Subramanian Swamy against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, and others – is known as the National Herald (newspaper) corruption case.
The government statement added that 0.3365 acre of land was allotted to AJL in Delhi in 1962-63 at a concessional rate of Rs. 1,25,000 per acre for construction of a five-story building (in addition to basement) for purpose of press on the ground floor and offices on other floors.
However, according to the statement, complaints were received regarding misuse of the land. It was found by the inspecting team of the ministry on April 9, 2018 that no printing press was functioning at any floor of the premises and no paper stock was found anywhere.
In earlier inspection also, the basement where the press machine should have been, was found vacant. Further, the statement adds that it was also found that almost all shares of AJL were transferred to Young Indian having the same address as that of AJL without any permission of the ministry.
As per a report of Income Tax Department, in Young Indian company, majority of shares (76%) are held by the Gandhi family and the rest by other Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes.
Although Congress claims that it cannot be a money laundering case because no money is involved in the AJL deal, reports suggest that huge financial transactions have been happening to benefit the Congress leaders.
For example, it was observed that instead of using the land given to AJL for press purposes, the Congress leaders are earning a huge sum of money by renting out almost the entire building except one floor. This alleged wrongdoing by Congress has negated the purpose for which the land was originally allotted.
COURT DECISION
Since all these violations came to the notice of the government, Show Cause Notices were issued to AJL on June 18, 2018 and again on September 24, 2018.
As AJL could not give any satisfactory reply to these violations, an order for re-entry of the premises was issued by the ministry on October 30, 2018. Against this order, the AJL had gone to the Delhi High Court which pronounced its order in December 2018.
As per the complaint filed in the court of the Metropolitan Magistrate, AJL took an interest-free loan of Rs. 90.25 crore (US$13 million) from the Congress party. It is alleged that the loan was not repaid.
A closely held company, Young Indian, was incorporated in November 2010 with a capital of Rs. 50 lakh (US$70,000) and it acquired almost all the shareholding of AJL and all its properties (alleged to be worth Rs. 5,000 crore or US$700 million).
As a large amount of money is involved in the Congress deal in which Congress leaders are apparently benefitting, the ED has sufficient grounds to question them in the money laundering case.
Subramanian Swamy had alleged criminal misappropriation by both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The courts had determined that a prima facie case was established in the matter.
Therefore, now the Congress leaders must face the investigation honestly instead of instigating the Congress crowds on the streets.
CONGRESS REVIVAL
If the defunct Congress party really wants to revive itself, it must delete its Twitter and other social media accounts and permanently demonstrate in the streets.
Congress must also protest continuously in front of the courts, police stations, jails, the offices of election authorities, etc. which are being used by the autocratic Modi government to harass the innocent citizens. Twitter – which has an insignificant number of followers in a country of 1.4 billion – can’t help dying Congress stand on its feet again.
Congress should particularly protest against the spineless Supreme Court which does not take any decision that may displease supreme leader Modi. When the case is against Modi or his colleagues, the Supreme Court judges do not show courage to pronounce any judgment against them.
In order to protect them, these complicit judges either issue some perfunctory notices to the government, or form ineffective committees, or defer the cases eternally. [ You can click here to watch a related video. ]
In the past, multiple cases have been either ignored by the Supreme Court arbitrarily or the judgments have gone in favour of the Modi government. These cases include Ayodhya temple case, Rafale corruption case, electronic voting machines (EVM) fraud case, PM-CARES Fund case, Article 370 case on Kashmir, Judge Loya death case, Gujarat riots case, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) case, electoral bonds case, judicial corruption case, sextortion case of former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, environmental crime case, Pegasus spyware case, and a number of other cases which still await justice.
While the Supreme Court of India and other courts have lost their credibility and relevance, Congress should mobilize its millions of workers and demonstrate in front of the courts until all these cases are resolved in a fair and transparent manner. All Congress workers must be ready to get imprisoned in their attempt to save Indians and their rights which are being crushed by the Modi government.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
He has also launched the “Power Play: Lok Sabha Election 2024 in India” editorial section to cover the news, events, and other developments related to the 2024 election.
