Tag: Young Indian

  • ‘Stop blaming Indian democracy for people’s repeated rejection of you’: BJP hits back at Rahul Gandhi

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi, the BJP on Friday accused him of “blaming” Indian democracy and its institutions for the Congress’ repeated defeat in polls under him and the ongoing ED probe against him in the National Herald case.

    Shortly after Gandhi’s press conference here, former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Congress leader made “shameful and irresponsible” comments and noted that it was his grandmother and then prime minister Indira Gandhi who had suspended people’s democratic rights by imposing Emergency.

    The former Congress president had earlier alleged that India is witnessing the “death of democracy” and anybody who stands against the government’s dictatorship is “viciously attacked”.

    Slamming him, Prasad said, “Stop demeaning the institutions of India to safeguard your corruption and misdeeds. If people don’t listen to you why are you blaming us.”

    If people saw dictatorship, it was during the Emergency when people, including opposition leaders and editors, were jailed, judges superseded and censorship imposed.

    Indira Gandhi had then spoken about having “committed judiciary,” he said.

    ALSO READ | ‘Onset of dictatorship’: Rahul Gandhi hits out at BJP amid Congress’ countrywide protests

    “Why do you blame democracy when people of India reject you with repeated regularity,” he added and asked Gandhi if there is democracy within his party which has some “good leaders” but it is all about the Gandhi family.

    Rahul Gandhi had made all kind of allegations against Modi during the 2019 polls as well but people elected him with a bigger mandate, he said.

    Raking up the Enforcement Directorate’s case against him and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Prasad said he must answer as to how Young Indian, a firm in which the two Gandhis have 76 per cent stake, allegedly acquired National Herald’s assets worth over Rs 5,000 crore with the investment of only Rs 5 lakh.

    The judiciary refused to quash charges against him and others in the case, and he is now blaming institutions, the BJP leader said.

    Rahul Gandhi will have to face consequences for what he has done, Prasad said.

    “You will have to face trial and answer the ED’s questions,” he said.

    The government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been taking strong measures against corruption, and the Congress and the system around it are rattled because democracy has become synonymous with financial irregularities when the opposition party was in power, he alleged.

    He noted the assets allegedly acquired by several opposition leaders and their associates through graft have been seized by the ED in different places ranging from Delhi to Mumbai and Kolkata.

    NEW DELHI: Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi, the BJP on Friday accused him of “blaming” Indian democracy and its institutions for the Congress’ repeated defeat in polls under him and the ongoing ED probe against him in the National Herald case.

    Shortly after Gandhi’s press conference here, former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Congress leader made “shameful and irresponsible” comments and noted that it was his grandmother and then prime minister Indira Gandhi who had suspended people’s democratic rights by imposing Emergency.

    The former Congress president had earlier alleged that India is witnessing the “death of democracy” and anybody who stands against the government’s dictatorship is “viciously attacked”.

    Slamming him, Prasad said, “Stop demeaning the institutions of India to safeguard your corruption and misdeeds. If people don’t listen to you why are you blaming us.”

    If people saw dictatorship, it was during the Emergency when people, including opposition leaders and editors, were jailed, judges superseded and censorship imposed.

    Indira Gandhi had then spoken about having “committed judiciary,” he said.

    ALSO READ | ‘Onset of dictatorship’: Rahul Gandhi hits out at BJP amid Congress’ countrywide protests

    “Why do you blame democracy when people of India reject you with repeated regularity,” he added and asked Gandhi if there is democracy within his party which has some “good leaders” but it is all about the Gandhi family.

    Rahul Gandhi had made all kind of allegations against Modi during the 2019 polls as well but people elected him with a bigger mandate, he said.

    Raking up the Enforcement Directorate’s case against him and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Prasad said he must answer as to how Young Indian, a firm in which the two Gandhis have 76 per cent stake, allegedly acquired National Herald’s assets worth over Rs 5,000 crore with the investment of only Rs 5 lakh.

    The judiciary refused to quash charges against him and others in the case, and he is now blaming institutions, the BJP leader said.

    Rahul Gandhi will have to face consequences for what he has done, Prasad said.

    “You will have to face trial and answer the ED’s questions,” he said.

    The government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been taking strong measures against corruption, and the Congress and the system around it are rattled because democracy has become synonymous with financial irregularities when the opposition party was in power, he alleged.

    He noted the assets allegedly acquired by several opposition leaders and their associates through graft have been seized by the ED in different places ranging from Delhi to Mumbai and Kolkata.

  • ‘Not afraid of Narendra Modi, will not be intimidated’: Rahul Gandhi on ED action in National Herald case

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Launching a scathing attack on the prime minister, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday said he is “not afraid of Narendra Modi” and will not be “intimidated” by the Enforcement Directorate’s action in the National Herald case.

    Gandhi’s reaction came a day after the ED sealed the office of Young Indian in Herald House in the national capital, and the Delhi police briefly barricaded his residence and the party office here.

    Gandhi termed these actions an “attempt at intimidation”.

    “We will not be intimidated. We are not afraid of Narendra Modi,” he told reporters outside Parliament.

    “They may do whatever they want. It does not matter.”

    “I will continue to work to protect the country and democracy and maintain harmony in the country. I will continue to do my work whatever they may do,” he said in his first response after the ED sealed the Young Indian office.

    On the barricading issue, he said “truth cannot be barricaded”, and added his party will continue to protest.

    The former Congress chief said the BJP government thinks its can “silence us by putting some pressure on us”.

    “But we will not be silenced,” he said.

    “What Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are doing in this country and against democracy, we will stand against it whatever they may do. It does not matter.”

    NEW DELHI: Launching a scathing attack on the prime minister, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday said he is “not afraid of Narendra Modi” and will not be “intimidated” by the Enforcement Directorate’s action in the National Herald case.

    Gandhi’s reaction came a day after the ED sealed the office of Young Indian in Herald House in the national capital, and the Delhi police briefly barricaded his residence and the party office here.

    Gandhi termed these actions an “attempt at intimidation”.

    “We will not be intimidated. We are not afraid of Narendra Modi,” he told reporters outside Parliament.

    “They may do whatever they want. It does not matter.”

    “I will continue to work to protect the country and democracy and maintain harmony in the country. I will continue to do my work whatever they may do,” he said in his first response after the ED sealed the Young Indian office.

    On the barricading issue, he said “truth cannot be barricaded”, and added his party will continue to protest.

    The former Congress chief said the BJP government thinks its can “silence us by putting some pressure on us”.

    “But we will not be silenced,” he said.

    “What Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are doing in this country and against democracy, we will stand against it whatever they may do. It does not matter.”

  • National Herald case: ED summons Sonia, Rahul Gandhi for ‘money laundering’

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI:  The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday summoned Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her MP son Rahul Gandhi for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper, officials said.

    While Sonia Gandhi, 75, has been asked to depose before the federal agency on June 8, Rahul Gandhi is understood to have been asked to appear earlier.

    Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said at a press conference that the senior Gandhi will comply with the summons.

    “Rahul Gandhi will go if he is here or he may seek a fresh date,” Singhvi added.

    The case to probe alleged financial irregularities in the party-promoted Young Indian that owns the National Herald newspaper was registered recently.

    The agency, officials said, wants to record the statements of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    The National Herald is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian Pvt Limited.

    The agency recently questioned senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal as part of the investigation.

    The questioning of the senior Congress leaders and the Gandhis is part of ED’s investigation to understand the share holding pattern, financial transactions and role of the promoters of Young Indian and AJL, officials said.

    The agency registered a fresh case under the criminal provisions of the PMLA after a trial court here took cognisance of an Income Tax Department probe against Young Indian Pvt Ltd on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.

    The first family of the Congress party, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, are among the promoters and shareholders of Young Indian.

    After the ED examined Kharge last month, the Congress’ whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore accused the government of “harassing” him.

    Tagore said the government wants to insult Dalit leaders and added that Kharge would not surrender to such tactics.

    BJP MP Swamy had accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds with Young Indian Pvt Ltd paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd owed to the Congress.

    The Delhi High Court in February last year issued a notice to the Gandhis for their response on Swamy’s plea seeking to lead evidence in the matter before the trial court.

    They, however, contended in the Delhi High Court that the plea by Swamy was “misconceived and premature”.

    The other accused in this case filed by Swamy are Suman Dubey and technocrat Sam Pitroda.

    They have earlier said that they did nothing wrong.