National Herald Case: Rahul Gandhi To Appear For Fourth Time Before ED Today, Congress To Hold Protest

Congress leaders will meet President Ram Nath Kovind to submit a memorandum on the issue of entry of Delhi Police into party headquarters and the alleged misbehaviour with party MPs during protests

New Delhi:  Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday for the fourth round of questioning for alleged money laundering linked to the National Herald case. ED had issued fresh summons to Rahul Gandhi to join the investigation on Monday accepting his request to consider deferring questioning from June 17 to June 20 after he cited his mother and party interim president Sonia Gandhi's health condition. Sonia Gandhi was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Sunday over Covid-related complications. The 75-year-old, who had tested positive on June 2, has also been summoned for questioning by the ED in the case on June 23.

Earlier, the Wayanad MP was questioned by ED from June 13 to 15 for 30 hours amid intense protests from party leaders and workers.  Congress has termed the ED's action as 'vendetta politics' targeting the opposition leaders.

The investigation pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper. The newspaper is published by the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian Private Limited (YIL).

Rahul Gandhi was questioned in detail about the ownership of Young Indian Private Limited (YIL) by the Gandhi family and its shareholding pattern in Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the company that runs the National Herald newspaper, said sources.

Investigators had asked the Congress leader to describe the circumstances under which AJL was acquired by YIL in 2010, making it the owner of all assets owned by the National Herald newspaper, according to the news agency ANI report.  Started by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, The National Herald was published by the AJL. In 2010, the AJL, which faced financial difficulties, was acquired by a newly-floated YIL with Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda as directors, both of whom are Gandhi loyalists.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint in the Delhi High Court accusing Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul Gandhi, and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds. The Congress leader is being questioned under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Meanwhile, Congress will hold peaceful protests across the country on Monday against the Agnipath recruitment scheme and the Modi government for targeting its MP Rahul Gandhi. A delegation of Congress leaders will also meet President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday and submit a memorandum on the issue of entry of Delhi Police into their party headquarters and the alleged misbehaviour with party MPs during protests, reported ANI.

Taking to Twitter, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday, "Tomorrow lakhs of Congress workers across the country will continue peaceful protests against the anti-youth Agnipath scheme and against Modi government's vendetta politics targeting its MP Rahul Gandhi. A Congress delegation will also meet Hon'ble Rashtrapati in the evening."