'BJP using ED to target Oppn leaders'
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 15 2022: MPCC president K Meghachandra has alleged that Enforcement Directorate (ED) is being utilised by BJP to target Opposition leaders.

Addressing media persons at Con gress Bhawan here on Wednesday, K Meghachandra said that the money laundering case being filed against AICC president Sonia Gandhi and former AICC president Rahul Gandhi is baseless and unfounded.

The case was filed as part of BJP's ploy to defame and wrongly portray Opposition leaders before the eyes of public, he said.

According to K Meghachandra, everyone knows that English daily National Herald functions under Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and it began publication in the year 1937.National Herald played vital roles in India's freedom movement particularly during quit India movement and the British even banned the daily in 1945 for working closely with Congress party.

During that time, Mahatma Gandhi even termed the British ban on National Herald as a tragedy for national movement.

Sadly, National Herald suffered heavy losses after long years of publication and Congress party stepped in to help the daily financially for being associated with the party for a long time.

The party extended Rs 90 crore to tne daily on instalment basis lasting 10/11 years, he said, adding that providing loan to the daily from party's fund is not a criminal offence and so no case can be applied under Money Laundering Act in this matter.

The MPCC president further said that the Rs 90 crore loan given to the daily was converted into equity share as it was impossible for National Herald or AJL company to repay the loan amount.

The equity share was allotted to non-profit company called 'Young India' controlled by AJL company.

AICC president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, late Congress leaders Oscar Fernandes, Motilal Vohra and Suman Dubey were managing committee members of 'Young India'.

BJP leader Subramaniam Swami had filed an RTI application regarding the loan given by Congress party to National Herald and the reply of the Election Commission of India mentioned that the amount given from party fund does not fall under the ambit of election expenditure controlled by the commission, Meghachandra said and termed as unfortunate the attempt being made to tarnish image of Opposition leaders by bringing out an already settled matter afresh.

He also strongly condemned repeated summoning of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi by ED.

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