- Sunday, May 05, 2024
By: ANI
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday (4) termed the sealing of the Young Indian office at the Herald House building in New Delhi as an “intimidation attempt” by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of prime minister Narendra Modi and asserted that he is “not scared” of the Modi government.
Speaking to the reporters in the national capital, Gandhi said in Hindi, “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…”
“We are not afraid of Narendra Modi. Do whatever they want to do – it won’t make any difference. I will continue to do the work of protecting the country, protecting democracy and maintaining brotherhood in the country. We are not afraid,” Gandhi’s Indian National Congress said quoting him.
सच्चाई को बैरिकेड नहीं किया जा सकता।
कर लें जो करना है, मैं प्रधानमंत्री से नहीं डरता, मैं हमेशा देश हित में काम करता रहूंगा।
सुन लो और समझ लो! pic.twitter.com/akqfS8AYaS
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 4, 2022
India’s financial intelligence agency — Enforcement Directorate (ED) — on Wednesday (3) sealed the Young Indian office at the Herald House building. ED sealed the office as no one was available in the office during the search and thus they were not able to complete a search mission.
The order put outside the Young Indian office reads that the “premises not be opened without prior permission” from the agency.
Earlier reports said that the Herald House office was sealed.
The probe agency took action a day after raids were carried out at 12 locations in the national capital and at other places in connection with the National Herald case in which top Congress leaders are accused of violating norms.
“Delhi Police blocking the road to AICC Headquarters has become a norm rather than an exception! Why have they just done so is mysterious…,” senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.
The National Herald case pertains to the alleged financial irregularities under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was registered about nine months ago after a trial court took cognisance of an Income Tax department probe carried out on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by former BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2013.
The petitioner had approached the court alleging that the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which published the National Herald newspaper, were fraudulently acquired and transferred to Young Indian Pvt Limited (YIL), in which Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi owned 38 per cent shares each.
Swamy had alleged that the Gandhis cheated and misappropriated funds, with YIL paying only Rs 50 lakh (£52,036) to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore (£9.39 million) that AJL owed to Congress.
The raids were conducted days after the investigative agency questioned Congress interim-president Sonia Gandhi for nearly three hours on July 27. It was the third round of questioning of the senior leader in the case.
Following the summoning of Sonia Gandhi by the ED, Congress workers and leaders staged protests in various parts of the country alleging misuse of probe agencies by the government.
In June, the ED questioned Rahul Gandhi for five days. Rahul Gandhi was questioned by the ED for over 27 hours for three straight days from June 13 to June 15 and was again summoned on June 20. That day, he was questioned for around 14 hours.
The Congress leader deposed before the ED investigators in the case for the first time on June 13.
