BJP takes jibe at Congress over National Herald case: ’This is Gandhi model of development’

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said that the National Herald, launched in 1937, was "never the personal property of the Nehru family."

He said, "The newspaper, which was supposed to strengthen the voice of the people fighting for independence, they turned that newspaper into a private business, an ATM!"

Ravi Shankar Prasad's comments came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) named Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in its chargesheet in the National Herald case.

Prasad said the law will take its own course under the Narendra Modi government and that probe agencies will not be fazed by the "threats" of the Congress.

He said the Congress has the right to hold 'dharnas' (to protest the ED chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul) but that right does not extend to misappropriating public properties given by the government to the National Herald.

"A corporate conspiracy was hatched in a very interesting way to get this entire property into the hands of the family...," Prasad said.

'Gandhi model of development'

The BJP leader alleged that Young India wrote off the ₹90 crore loan that the Congress had given to the Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) and got ownership of the company with a paltry investment of ₹50 lakh.

The land was given to the AJL by the government, he said, adding that the National Herald was allegedly used by the Congress establishment to collect advertisement and properties.

"...using party funds for a private company is prohibited. When AJL failed to repay the loan, a corporate conspiracy was orchestrated to transfer its valuable assets to the Gandhi family," the BJP leader said.

He said this is the "Gandhi model of development" as he noted the allegation against Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra of pocketing a huge profit in a land deal in Haryana with the collusion of the then Congress government in the state.

"The Gandhi family acquired assets worth ₹90 crore for just ₹50 lakh. Another member bought land for ₹3 crore and later sold it for ₹58 crore after commercialisation. This is called the ‘Gandhi model of development,’" he said.

'Today is not Indira Gandhi's emergency'

BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan on Wednesday said that the Congress leadership should realise that "today is not Indira Gandhi's emergency."

He told news agency ANI, "...today is Modi's fair and fearless Bharat, where everybody will be made answerable and accountable for their wrongdoings..."

"The Congress is trying to intimidate government agencies... This shows that they are trying to hide something... The Congress is resisting the law of the land... They should know that truth triumphs, but falsehoods never triumph...," he added.

National Herald case

The Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and others before a special court in the National Herald case, accusing them of laundering ₹988 crore.

The Congress described the ED's chargesheet as vendetta politics and claimed seizing assets in the case was a "state-sponsored crime masquerading as the rule of law".

Congress protest

The Congress launched a massive protest against the central government and investigative agencies after the ED filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Rahul and Sonia Gandhi in connection with the National Herald.

The BJP took a dig at the protest and said, “The Congress must not make a fool of itself by indulging in these silly protests. They don’t own this country, and neither Sonia Gandhi nor Rahul Gandhi is above the law of the land.”