ED Examines Mallikarjun Kharge In National Herald Case, Congress Says Govt 'Insulting Dalit Leaders'

Mallikarjun Kharge was summoned by the ED as it wanted to understand some issues in the investigation.

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge (Getty Images)

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday recorded the statement of senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge in connection with its money laundering probe into the National Herald case.

The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha reached the ED headquarters in the national capital at around 11 am.

Kharge was summoned by the ED as it wanted to understand some issues in the investigation and his statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), PTI reported.

The probe in the National Herald case - linked to the Congress and the Gandhis - has been going on for years.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had filed a complaint before the trial court in 2012 accusing the Gandhis of cheating, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust in the acquisition of the Associated Journals Limited or AJL by Young Indian Pvt. Ltd (YI).

The National Herald, said to be a Congress mouthpiece, was started by former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and was published by AJL. 

In 2010, the AJL was taken over by a newly-floated company called Young Indian Private Limited (YIL). The directors of YIL were Gandhi loyalists Suman Dubey and technocrat Sam Pitroda.

Subramanian Swamy has accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying only Rs 50 lakh, through which Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd, owner of National Herald, owed to the Congress.

All the seven accused - the Gandhis, AICC treasurer Motilal Vora, AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and - have denied the allegations.

Mallikarjun Kharge is stated to be an office-bearer of Young Indian and AJL.

The ED has alleged that the accused in this case, that includes former Haryana chief minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and late Congress leader Motilal Vora, "used the proceeds of crime" in the form of a land plot allotted "illegally" to AJL in Panchkula and pledged it to avail loan from a Syndicate Bank branch (Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg) in Delhi for constructing a building in Mumbai's Bandra area, PTI reported.

Reacting to the development, Congress leader Manickam Tagore accused the government of "harassing" the Dalit leader and said that he would not surrender like BSP supremo Mayawati did.

He said the government was "harassing" Kharge and "wants to insult Dalit leaders". "Kharge is a fighter and he won't surrender like Mayawati ji," Tagore tweeted.