Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 21: Amidst protests across the country by the Congress workers leading to stoppage of trains and burning of some vehicles in some places, the Enforcement Directorate officials on Thursday questioned the party’s national president Sonia Gandhi in the alleged money laundering case that the Congress party termed as “political vendetta.”
Sonia Gandhi, 75, was questioned for nearly three hours on the first day of her appearance before the probe agency in the case linked to the National Herald newspaper. Though the ED has not issued another summons so far, she is likely to be given some time because of her health and called for another round of questioning in a couple of days, unlike in the case of her son Rahul Gandhi who was questioned in the same case for over 40 hours in five days, but keeping the Congress president’s health in mind, the Enforcement Directorate wrapped up her questioning far sooner.
Mrs Gandhi, who recently recovered from Covid, was questioned keeping in mind Covid protocol with everyone participating equipped with a Covid negative certificate, the ED officials said. In fact, she had put in two requests before the ED, that she may be seated in a spacious and well-ventilated room during questioning and that all the officials and staff dealing with her be tested for Covid in advance, the sources said.
Mrs Gandhi’s questioning was carried out by the same set of five assistant director level officers who had questioned Rahul Gandhi but in case of Mrs Gandhi a woman Additional Director led the group. The probe agency prepared 50 questions for Congress chief, it is learnt.
Sonia Gandhi arrived at the ED headquarters in central Delhi a little after noon. She was accompanied by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Ms Vadra was allowed to stay in the ‘building, away from the questioning room with medicines Sonia Gandhi use so that in case of a health issue she can be with her mother and provide her medicines, officials said.
The party has slammed the agency’s action and called it a “political vendetta”. Several Congress leaders were detained as the party held nationwide demonstrations in support of the party chief. Carrying large banners saying “stop misuse of ED”, Congress leaders today held a march inside the Parliament complex in a show of strength against the Enforcement Directorate. Large number of demonstrations are also being held across the country. In some places, protesters stopped trains, and even burnt vehicles, reports said.
“We are protesting the ED summons to Mrs Sonia Gandhi. The AJL-Young India transaction is recorded in the books of account, the returns filed by the two companies and in the Income Tax returns. All that the ED wants to know can be found in the records,” tweeted Congress leader P. Chidambaram, who was detained during protests in Delhi.
The BJP criticised the Congress’ protests as its “duragrah” (obstinate demand) for protecting the Gandhi family. “The Congress has become a pocket organisation of a family, and now its assets are also being pocketed by the family,” BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged, attacking the Gandhis.
Earlier today, a meeting chaired by the Congress to discuss “relentless political vendetta” by the Centre was attended by 13 opposition parties. A statement released by like-minded opposition parties has condemned the BJP-led Centre’s “misuse” of investigating agencies. Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also given a zero-hour notice over “misuse of central investigation agencies by the ruling government.”
The police had made massive security arrangements at the ED office and roads near the Congress office and her residence in view of the Congress call for protest demonstrations.
The ED has been investigating the role of the Gandhis in the case which involves the Young Indian’s takeover of AJL (Associated Journals Limited), the company which ran the National Herald newspaper. Founded by Gandhi’s grandfather and the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the newspaper was a Congress mouthpiece that later went entirely online. The ED says the Young Indian company also took over ₹ 800 crore in assets of AJL. According to the Income Tax department, this should be considered an asset of the shareholders of Young Indian — Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, for which they should pay tax.
The Congress says the assets of AJL went to Young Indian, a non-profit, and so the shareholders could not make any money from the assets since that is not allowed under the law. To which, the Enforcement Directorate says the Young Indian claims to be a non-profit but has not done any charity work.
Sonia Gandhi’s questioning reportedly revolved around personal details of her shareholding and taxes and the links of Associated to Young Indian, say sources. She was also asked about the links of the Congress party with the companies.
The summons to the Congress president took political centre stage in Parliament, where opposition leaders raised the issue, and on the streets with party workers staging massive protests.
The Congress party slammed the agency’s action against its top leadership and termed it “political vendetta.” “All Congress MPs and CWC members have courted mass arrest outside our party headquarters in a show of collective solidarity with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, a target of ‘Vishguru’s’ political vendetta,” said Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh.
His party colleague P. Chidambaram said the ED was not higher than the Supreme Court. “What is that the ED wants to ‘investigate’ that will not be examined by the SC,” he asked. Other Opposition leaders voiced their protest too. Leaders of 13 political parties, including the DMK, Shiv Sena, RJD and the Left, met at Parliament House and issued a statement accusing the government of unleashing a “relentless campaign of vendetta against its political opponents and critics through the mischievous misuse of investigative agencies”.
“Prominent leaders of a number of political parties have been deliberately targeted and subjected to harassment in an unprecedented manner,” the leaders said. The opposition’s presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha said he strongly condemned the ED’s attitude to humiliate political leaders. “The officers of ED should have gone to her residence even if they had questions to ask of Sonia Gandhi,” he said on Twitter.
“Yet again the Extended Department (ED) of BJP is insulating the party from people’s anger towards price rise, joblessness and inflation. By repeatedly calling opposition leaders with zero evidence against them is deliberate political vendetta carried out on behalf of the BJP,” Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said.
The issue echoed in Parliament as well where the Congress and other Opposition parties sought to raise the issue. With tempers running high, Union minister Pralhad Joshi asked whether the Opposition party believes everyone is equal before the law or not. “Is she some ‘super human’ because she is the Congress president?” he asked.
The Congress chief had been summoned twice earlier but sought an exemption on grounds of Covid. Her statement was recorded by the agency under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The move to question the Gandhis was initiated after the ED late last year registered a fresh case under criminal provisions of the PMLA. This was after a trial court here took cognisance of an Income Tax department probe against Young Indian on the basis of a private criminal complaint by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.
Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and majority shareholders of Young Indian. Like her son, the Congress president too has 38% shareholding. Swamy had accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds, with YI paying only ₹50 lakh to obtain the right to recover ₹90.25 crore that AJL owed to the Congress.
In February last year, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Gandhis for their response on Swamy’s plea. Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal were questioned by the ED in the case in April.
The Congress party has maintained that there has been no wrongdoing and Young Indian is a “not-for-profit” company established under section 25 of the Companies Act and hence there can be no question of money laundering.
It is understood that Rahul Gandhi, during his deposition before the ED, stuck to the position that there was no personal acquisition of assets by himself or his family. According to the ED, assets worth about ₹800 crore are “owned” by the AJL and it wants to know from the Gandhis how a not-for-profit company like Young Indian was undertaking commercial activities of renting out its land and building assets.
