National Herald case: BJP & Congress spar over court order
NEW DELHI: The Congress and the BJP traded sharp blows on Wednesday after a Delhi trial court declined to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorates complaint in the National Herald case, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge calling it a victory of truth and the ruling party insisting the case is very much alive. The court on Tuesday declined to take cognisance of EDs money laundering charges against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and five others. Kharge said the order vindicated the Congresss long-held charge that the case was driven by political vendetta. We welcome the judgment. Truth always triumphs, he said, alleging that the sole objective was to harass the Gandhi family and target the Opposition through a vindictive mindset. Kharge said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah should resign. It is like a slap on their face. They should not harass people like this, he said, accusing the government of misusing central agencies for political ends. He claimed that over the past 11 years, more than 50 key Opposition leaders had been intimidated by the ED, CBI, and the Income Tax Department. Kharge added, We have been fighting on the streets, in Parliament and outside it, and will continue to do it and teach them a lesson. Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the party would expose the Modi governments vendetta politics, as Congress workers protested outside the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee office. The BJP, however, rejected the Congresss reading of the order. Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said the Congress was misleading the public. The case is still pending trial in the Delhi High Court. The court has not quashed the proceedings and has allowed the ED to continue its investigation, he said, and demanded an apology from Kharge and Khera for their remarks. Political vendetta: Kharge Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the order vindicated the Congresss long-held charge that the case was driven by political vendetta. However, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia rejected the Congresss reading of the order, and demanded an apology from Kharge and Khera over their remarks.
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