BJP misusing agencies in National Herald case: Congress
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 21 2025: Congress on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating a politically motivated campaign to tarnish senior Congress leaders by invoking the National Herald case, as part of its nationwide "Congress Truths, BJP Lies" initiative.

Speaking at a press conference held at Congress Bhawan, here, Congress party's Manipur in charge Mathew Antony, MPCC president Keisham Meghachandra and former chief minister Okram Ibobi denounced the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) chargesheet naming Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Congress overseas chief Sam Pitroda and others in an alleged Rs 988 crore money laundering case.

Antony characterised a string of high profile BJP pledges - from the Rs 15 lakh promise to the "50 day" vows on GST, demonetisation and pandemic relief - as emblematic of "lies after lies" .

He said the BJP's real motive was fear of the Congress party's enduring legacy and the Gandhi family's place in the national consciousness.

He outlined how the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) newspaper, founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, Purshotam Das Tandon and others before independence, was financed through fully accounted bank transfers totalling around Rs 19 crore between 2002 and 2011.That debt was later converted into equity by Young India, a non profit company, mirroring the government's conversion of Vodafone's tax liabilities into equity in the telecom sector.

"Where have we done the robbery? Where have we taken away public funds? There is not a single rupee in physical cash that benefited any Congress leader," Antony said, questioning the rationale behind Subramanian Swamy's complaint, which he described as a partisan attack lacking any stake in the private transaction.

He further criticised the ED for filing its chargesheet just days before the statute of limitations deadline, calling the timing "disingenuous" and evidence of BJP's attempt to influence public opinion ahead of elections.

Mathew Antony, who is also the AICC joint secretary, alleged that the National Herald case is an attempt of the BJP to divert the public attention from crucial issues facing the nation.

He also claimed that the BJP is scared of the respect the country's people have for the Congress and the Gandhi family.

"Despite being in power for all these years, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and the BJP government are scared of the Congress and the Gandhi family.

The relationship between the Congress and the Gandhi family has been intertwined since the time of the freedom struggle," Antony told reporters.

The saffron party sought to sully the names of Rahul and Sonia Gandhi as people love and respect them, he maintained.

"They filed several cases against Rahul Gandhi and defamed our greatest leader Sonia Gandhi.

They are now making cases against Priyanka Gandhi and her family," Antony said.

It is the insecurity and failure of the Narendra Modi government and the BJP to cover their entire administrative failure and right-wing fundamentalism, the Congress leader alleged.

"The power of the BJP is a short term phenomenon.

It is a party of cards of lies", he claimed.

Chipping in former CM Okram Ibobi urged party workers to remain undeterred, stating that BJP's ultimate goal was to finish the Congress party and undermine the Gandhi family's integrity.

"They know they cannot erase Congress legacy and truth will always prevails," he said and added that the Congress in Manipur would continue to fight the charges.

In his address, MLA Meghachandra blamed BJP for diverting attention from issues such as youth unemployment and inflation.

He said the National Herald case served as a diversion from the ruling party's own governance failures at both the centre and in the state.

"The history of the Congress party is the history of India," he said, warning that voters would not be fooled by attempts to rewrite that record.

He said that the party will intensify its campaign to "expose BJP lies" and solicit public support to uphold the rule of law and defend democratic institutions.

The ED had recently filed a chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and others before a special court in New Delhi in the National Herald case accusing them of allegedly laundering Rs 988 crore.

The prosecution complaint filed on April 9 under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) named Sonia Gandhi, a former Congress president, as the accused no 1, and her son and MP Rahul Gandhi, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, as accused no 2.The Congress leaders also condoled the death of Pope Francis.

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