New Delhi: Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is all set to be questioned by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday in connection with corruption allegations in the National Herald case.
The ED issued summons week before last to both Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and son Rahul. The ED is expected to record both statements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Both leaders are accused of "misappropriating" Associated Journals' assets "worth over Rs 2,000 crore" for "only Rs 50 lakh".
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy had accused the Gandhis of misusing party funds to buy a firm Associated Journals Limited (AJL) that published the now-defunct National Herald newspaper. A charge that the Gandhis have continued to deny of involving any financial impropriety.
To give a brief history, the National Herald newspaper was started in 1938 by Rahul Gandhi's great grandfather, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who was the first prime minister.
It was published by AJL founded in 1937 with thousands other freedom fighters as shareholders. AJI also published two other dailies -- Navjeevan in Hindi and the Qaumi Awaz in Urdu.
Overseen by some of the most powerful leaders of the pre-Independence era, the National Herald identified with India's freedom struggle.
The British government banned it in 1942, forcing the daily to shut printing. However, it was resumed three years later.
In 1947, when India became Independent, Nehru resigned as chairman of the board as he became PM.
The party though continued to play a big role in shaping the newspaper's ideology. During the National Herald's silver jubilee in 1963, Nehru accepted the paper "generally favouring Congress policy" while maintaining "an independent outlook".
The paper was among leading English dailies with some of the finest journalists as the party continued to fund it.
In 2008, it wrapped up over financial crisis. In 2016, it was relaunched as a digital publication.
In between, around 2012/13 Swamy filed a private complaint against the Gandhis.
Swamy alleged Gandhis used Congress party funds and took over AJL to try to acquire over Rs 20 billion in property assets.
In 2008, while shutting down temporarily before turning digital, the National Herald publisher AJL owed the Congress a debt of Rs 900 million.
In 2010, the Congress assigned the debt to Young India Private Limited, a non-profit body. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among its board of directors and they each own 38 per cent of the company.
The remaining was owned by Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, journalist Suman Dubey and entrepreneur Sam Pitroda, all named in the case.
Swamy alleged the Gandhis used "malicious" means to "take over" assets worth millions as Young India acquired complete control over AJL and its real estate, located in Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and other cities.
When ED issued summons against the two Congress leaders from the Gandhi family, the party described it as "a strange case of alleged money laundering without any money" and accused the BJP of "political vendetta".
The party said, in 2010 AJL became debt-free when it swapped its debt for equity, and assigned the shares to the newly created Young India Private Limited.
It insisted that AJL "continues to be the owner, printer and publisher of National Herald and that there is no change or transfer of property".
The party accused the Modi government of using government agencies to target opposition. (UNI)