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Congress Calls It ‘Political Vendetta’ by the Modi Government
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Modi government following the registration of a fresh FIR in the National Herald case, terming it a politically motivated act of vendetta and expressing confidence that the judiciary would expose what it called “mindless attempts to hound the opposition.”
Reacting strongly to the development, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that after a gap of 12 years, the filing of a new FIR in the same old case against the Gandhi family was nothing but a desperate attempt to keep the Congress under constant pressure.
“Simply because the Modi government and the ED have exhausted their supply of fresh smears. When facts ran thin, theatrics stepped in: selective prosecutions, recycled allegations, and a thinly veiled attempt to keep opponents in the dock,” Kharge said in a post on X.
“We are confident that the Judiciary will see through this political vendetta and mindless attempts to hound,” he added.
A day earlier, the Congress had also accused the Centre of using central agencies as tools of political harassment. Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, speaking to reporters, described the move as an effort to divert public attention from key national concerns such as the deteriorating economy, unemployment and a failed foreign policy. “In fabricating a crime where none exists, the ED and the BJP government deserve a Nobel Prize,” Singhvi alleged, calling the FIR a deliberate distraction from real issues affecting the country.
FIR Filed Against Gandhis on ED Complaint
The opposition party’s reaction followed the filing of an FIR by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police against former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and several others in the high-profile National Herald case. The FIR was registered on October 3 on a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as part of its ongoing money laundering investigation into the case.
According to official sources, charges have been pressed under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including section 120B (criminal conspiracy), 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and section 420 (cheating)
Besides the Gandhis, the FIR also names Congress leaders Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda, entities such as Young Indian (YI), Dotex Merchandise Ltd, its promoter Sunil Bhandari, and Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), along with unknown others. These entities, except the unknown accused, also figure in the ED chargesheet filed before a Delhi court in April this year. The trial court is yet to take cognisance of the chargesheet, with the next hearing scheduled for December 16.
ED’s Role and Legal Provision
Sources said the ED used its powers under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to share evidence with the Delhi Police for the registration of a predicate offence. This legal provision allows the agency to share information with other law enforcement agencies, enabling them to register criminal cases that can later be linked to money laundering investigations. The Congress has maintained that the entire case is politically driven and is being used to intimidate the party leadership ahead of key political contests. The ruling BJP, on the other hand, has consistently maintained that the law is taking its own course.
