Jammu, Apr 16: The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) on Wednesday held a strong protest against the central government, accusing it of indulging in vendetta politics against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other top leaders of the party in connection with the National Herald case.
A large number of Congress leaders and activists assembled at Shaheedi Chowk, Jammu, raising loud slogans against the Modi government.
Carrying placards, they chanted slogans “Modi Teri Tanashahi Nahin Chalegi” and “Hamein Darana Bandh Karo”.
The ED had on Tuesday said it filed a chargesheet on April 9 in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper. Besides Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, the chargesheet names Congress leaders Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey as co-accused.
The case, based on a 2014 complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, relates to the alleged acquisition of properties worth over Rs 2,000 crore by Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of National Herald, and their subsequent transfer to Young Indian – a company in which both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each hold a 38 per cent stake.
Senior Congress leaders, including JKPCC Chief Tariq Karra, termed the chargesheet against the Congress’s top leadership in the National Herald case as illegal and fabricated.
Protesters attempted to move towards the main bazaars of the city, but their attempt was foiled by the police.
Speaking to reporters, Karra lashed out at the BJP-led central government, calling the case a clear example of “vendetta politics” aimed at framing and harassing the Congress leadership.
AICC General Secretary and CLP Leader G A Mir claimed that the Modi government, fearing a loss in the upcoming assembly elections in Gujarat and Bihar, had resorted to implicating the Congress’s top leaders in a false case.
CWC member Vikar Rasool Wani, Working Presidents Tara Chand and Raman Bhalla, AICC Secretary Shah Nawaz Chaudhary, several former ministers, former legislators, DCC presidents, ex-corporators, heads of frontal wings, and other senior Congress and Mahila leaders also participated in the protest.
