Congress slammed ED chargesheet timing, called it political vendetta ahead of key state elections.
NEW DELHI: Even as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet against Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the alleged money laundering case involving National Herald, the Congress has questioned the timing of the financial probe in light of the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls later this year and the party’s aggressive preparations in Gujarat ahead of elections.
Several senior Congress leaders questioned the timing of the ED’s chargesheet and seizure of assets, linking them directly to the party’s recent two-day national convention in Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi’s prolonged stay in the state, and the approaching Bihar polls.
The ED first confirmed the attachment of National Herald properties worth over Rs 660 crore in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow, including the newspaper’s office on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in the national capital. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have been named as accused number one and two in the chargesheet filed before a court.
The Congress leaders are accused of acquiring assets worth Rs 2,000 crore for merely Rs 50 lakh.
In an official release, the ED stated that the seizures were aimed at preventing further “generation, utilisation, and enjoyment of the proceeds of crime.”
However, the Congress slammed the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, accusing it of indulging in political vendetta and asserting that no money laundering had occurred. They pointed out that not a single rupee or property was transferred from Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which controls and owns National Herald, to Young India.
Explaining the legalities of the case, senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who also heads the party’s legal cell, said AJL had been associated with the Congress for decades. Even after independence, the party continued to financially support AJL to keep it afloat.
Singhvi said, “Over the last 50 years, the Congress gave AJL a total loan of Rs 90 crore. To make AJL debt-free, this loan was transferred to a new company named Young India. This was done by converting the debt into equity.”
He added that Young India is a “not-for-profit” company under Section 8.
“No salary or perks are given to anyone, and the company has not bought or sold any property. When no properties were transferred and all remain with AJL, how can it be a case of money laundering?” Singhvi asked.
He said that the money laundering case had been fabricated without the transfer of a single rupee or property.
Young India, Singhvi explained, was formed with AJL shares, and several Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, and Sam Pitroda, became directors of the company.
Targeting the government, Singhvi said this is a case of “vendetta in legal disguise.”
“There was no profit made from AJL, and no property was bought or sold by Young India. All AJL properties remain with it. Ownership hasn’t changed hands, which is a common practice among companies today,” he said.
He also noted that the original case was initiated by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who got it stayed on technical grounds in the High Court.
“Then the government hijacked the matter and revived it,” Singhvi stated.
Sonia Gandhi, he said, had answered all ED queries, and Rahul Gandhi had been questioned for five days for nearly 55 hours.
He further explained that the chargesheet had to be filed within 365 days, hence the timing on April 9.
Taking another dig at the government, Singhvi said, “In the last eight years, over 5,300 cases have been registered by the ED, but how many have led to convictions? As per the ED’s own submission a few months ago, only 25 cases—less than 1%—have resulted in conviction.”
He also alleged that 98 out of 100 ED cases against political leaders are targeted at opposition figures.
“The ED has been turned into the BJP’s election department,” Singhvi claimed.
Several opposition leaders also questioned the timing of the ED’s actions, pointing to the upcoming elections in Bihar, Gujarat, and other states.
RJD, an ally of Congress in Bihar, questioned the ED’s move and warned of similar actions by central agencies in the state ahead of polls.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav even called for the abolition of the ED, blaming Congress for having created the agency.
“The Congress made the ED law. Many parties opposed it back then and warned that it could one day be misused against Congress itself. I could be wrong, but I believe the ED should be abolished. We already have the Income Tax department and GST. Having an agency like ED shows a lack of faith in other institutions,” he said.
Congress also questioned the chronology of events.
Pranav Jha, in charge of communications at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s office, posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Understand the chronology! With the Congress campaign, the hard work of the Modi government also began. April 8-9 – Congress session in Ahmedabad. April 12 – Congress property seized by ED. April 15 – Sonia and Rahul Gandhi named in chargesheet. April 15 – Robert Vadra questioned. April 15 – Raids on 15 locations linked to a former Congress minister in Rajasthan. Wow, Modi ji, wow!”
Senior Congress leader Gurdeep Singh Sappal also posted, “The vendetta against our beloved leaders Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji and Sh. Rahul Gandhi ji continues unabated. And so is their resolve to keep up the flag of democracy and to continue the fight for constitutional values. Their unwavering commitment inspires us all to stand firm against the tyranny of power and fight together against gross injustice and misuse of law. It is a bizarre case of claimed money laundering, where no money is involved, no laundering has been reported and no grievance of the stakeholders ever existed. A case has been conjured up from thin air where irregularities are being imagined without any past, present or future possibility of any profit, where there is no dividend, no transfer of property.”
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said in a video statement, “The British were irritated before 1947 with the National Herald, Gandhi family and Congress party, and now the Sanghis are getting irritated in the year 2025. The Gandhi family and the Congress party were the voice of the oppressed then and still are today. Filing a money laundering case against a not-for-profit company in which not even a single rupee was transacted and no property was transferred shows Modi’s fear.”
Congress believes the ED’s actions are intended to hurt its campaigns in Bihar, Gujarat, and other states going to polls soon. The party maintained that the chargesheet is a distraction tactic aimed at silencing the opposition and diverting attention from real issues.
Earlier, just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections last year, Congress had also raised concerns about the freezing of its bank accounts, leaving the party cash-strapped. It alleged that the BJP used the Income Tax department to financially cripple it.
On March 21 last year, Rahul Gandhi openly called it a “criminal action” by the Prime Minister and Home Minister.
“So, the idea that India is a democracy is a lie. There is no democracy in India today. The idea that India is the world’s largest democracy is a complete lie. 20% of India votes for us, and we can’t even pay Rs 2 for anything,” he said.
In a rare joint press conference, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the BJP-led government over the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme.
In February last year, the Congress had alleged that the Income Tax department froze its bank accounts over a disputed tax demand amounting to Rs 210 crore.