ED move in National Herald case to safeguard national assets: Piyush Goyal

Mumbai, April 19 (IANS) The action by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the National Herald case is aimed at protecting the nation’s assets from being “taken over by the Gandhi family for personal use”, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, said on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters here, the Union Minister said the ED’s actions were about “safeguarding national assets from being siphoned off under the guise of political legacy.”

“It should be utilised for the people and not the Gandhi family, which was trying to keep it for its own interests,” said the minister.

According to Goyal, senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were involved in a conspiracy to take control of the property, which was originally meant for public interest.

The remarks come after the ED filed a chargesheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others in the National Herald case.

The Special Court has fixed April 25 for hearing arguments on taking cognisance of the chargesheet. Others named in the chargesheet include Congress Overseas Chief Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and others.

The fresh trouble for Congress-controlled AJL comes close to the ED serving notices to registrars of property in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow to take possession of attached properties worth Rs 661 crore. These properties were attached after the investigation revealed signification generation, possession and use of proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 988 crore.

Earlier in the day, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge alleged a “deep conspiracy” behind the inclusion of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi’s names in the chargesheet. He claimed the action was politically motivated and part of a broader campaign of vendetta by the BJP-led Centre.

“You must have noticed how, as part of a big conspiracy, the names of CPP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi have been included in the ED chargesheet in the National Herald case. But no matter whose names are included, we are not afraid,” Kharge said, addressing a meeting of AICC general secretaries, state in-charges, and heads of party frontal organisations.

--IANS

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