Senior Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi has sought more time to appear before the ED for questioning in the National Herald scam. He has cited his mother and co-accused, Sonia Gandhi’s health as the reason. Sonia Gandhi, also the party president, too, is summoned by the ED for questioning on 23rd June. Days after the summons, Sonia Gandhi said she had tested positive for coronavirus and was then subsequently admitted to Sir Ganga Ram hospital.
As reported by Republic, Rahul Gandhi may now appear before the ED for fourth day of questioning on Monday.
Earlier it was reported that during the questioning, Rahul Gandhi has thrown now-deceased senior Congress leader and Gandhi family loyalist Motilal Vora under the bus and said it was Vora who was in charge of financial dealings and that he had no knowledge of the same.
As per a report by Times of India, Rahul Gandhi told the ED officials that former Congress Treasurer was responsible for all transactions related to the acquisition of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) by Young Indian. AJL publishes National Herald, the party’s mouthpiece masquerading as a newspaper.
Motilal Vora passed away in December 2020 at age 92. Young Indian and AJL are both companies which are controlled by the Gandhi family. During the questioning, Rahul Gandhi has denied having any knowledge of loans or the accommodation entries made by the Young Indian and put the blame squarely on shoulders of Motilal Vora, a Gandhi family loyalist who is no more.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi together hold 76% stake in the Young Indian. Of the remaining 24%, deceased Motilal Vora and another Congress loyalist Oscar Fernandes held 12% each.
In April this year, the ED recorded statements of Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and current treasurer of Congress Pawan Bansal, who are also office bearers in AJL and YI. The summons to Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were issued after that.
However, the Congress workers have taken to streets since Monday to protest against the summons by ED. In fact, the party workers indulged in arson and burnt tyres on streets of Delhi to protest. Now the questioning will likely be resumed on Monday.
There were apprehensions that the Friday questioning may coincide with the Jumma namaz where Islamists across India have been taking to streets, pelting stones and running riots since past three weeks now over ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s statements on Prophet Muhammad. That the violent Congress workers and rioting Islamists may worsen law and order situation in the country was a concern raised by many.
National Herald case
The National Herald scam is one of the most notable legal cases in Indian history, as the Gandhis are directly accused. The Mother-Son duo of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul, along with their aides – Oscar Fernandez, Motilal Vora and Sam Pithroda are alleged to have been involved in massive ‘cheating and breach of trust’ in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YIL). Assets worth crores of rupees had been allegedly transferred for purposes other than originally intended for a paltry sum. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi got unconditional bail in December 2015.
Here is an explainer in under 1 minute:
Understand the #NationalHeraldScam in under 1 minute. pic.twitter.com/EnBIsyDqGQ
— OpIndia.com (@OpIndia_com) June 13, 2022
