The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday searched the office of Congress-owned Young Indian in Delhi as part of its ongoing probe in the National Herald case. The searches, which lasted over six hours, were carried out in the Herald House building in the presence of senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge. The Grand Old Party condemned the summons issued to Kharge right in the middle of the Parliament session.
80-year-old Kharge, who is the company’s chief executive, reached the Young Indian office around 12:40 pm and met ED officials who had sought his presence during the searches. He was also questioned by the investigating agency.
Kharge’s appearance before ED officials and his action in the money laundering case led Kharge to tell Rajya Sabha that he was called to appear before the probe agency at 12.30 pm, following which political clashes between Congress and BJP in Parliament Happened.
“It has been 6.5 hours and our senior leader and LOP Mallikarjun Kharge, who was summoned by the ED in the middle of the (Parliament) session, is still with the ED. This is regrettable. He was supposed to host a dinner for the opposition’s vice presidential candidate Margaret Alva at 7.30 pm. This is pure harassment. The Modi government has created this drama before the Congress’s protest rally in all the states yesterday against inflation, unemployment and GST on food items. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said that several security forces were deployed yesterday outside Sonia Gandhi’s residence and AICC headquarters.
#watch, It’s been 6.5 hours and our senior leader and LOP Mallikarjun Kharge, who was summoned by the ED in the middle of the (Parliament) session, is still with the ED. It is regrettable; He was supposed to host dinner for VP candidate Margaret Alva at 7:30 pm: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh pic.twitter.com/IAd7CXqGtV
— ANI (@ANI) 4 August 2022
Responding to the summons issued to him, Kharge told the Upper House of Parliament that it was an attempt to intimidate and intimidate the Congress. Backing him, his party said the summons during the working hours of Parliament was a “dark chapter in democracy” and an “insult” to the legislature.
Congress leader has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi Rahul Gandhi He said he was “not afraid of Narendra Modi” and would not be “afraid” of the ED’s action in the National Herald case.
Meanwhile, Union Minister and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal termed Kharge’s allegation as “baseless” and said the Center does not interfere in the working of law enforcement agencies. He asked Congress leaders to face the law “instead of running away”.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her MP-son Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and majority shareholders of Young Indian. Like his son, the Congress president also holds 38 per cent stake. The National Herald newspaper is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and its holding company is Young Indian. The newspaper office is registered in the name of AJL.
On Wednesday, the ED sealed the Young Indian office and the Delhi Police briefly barricaded the AICC office and Sonia Gandhi’s residence to avoid any protests by party workers.
The ED on Tuesday raided a dozen places, including the Herald House, in connection with the ongoing money laundering probe into the National Herald-AJL-Young Indian deal.
The ED had questioned Sonia Gandhi in July and Rahul Gandhi in June in connection with the case at its headquarters in Delhi and in April had questioned Congress leaders Kharge and Pawan Bansal.
(with inputs from PTI)
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