New Delhi (TIP)- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 21 told a Delhi court that Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were beneficiaries of Rs 142 crore in proceeds of crime in connection with the ongoing National Herald money laundering case. The central agency argued that a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) had been established.
The submissions were made before Special Judge Vishal Gogne at the Rouse Avenue Court during initial arguments on whether the court should take note of the ED’s prosecution complaint filed against the two senior Congress leaders and other accused.
The complaint stems from a 2014 private criminal complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, which the magistrate court took note of in June 2014. The ED formally began its investigation in 2021.
The defence, represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, requested time to respond, citing the nature of the case documents, which span approximately 5,000 pages.
What is the National Herald money laundering case?
Both Sonia and Rahul have been questioned as part of the probe before
Rahul Gandhi, was last questioned by ED in the case in June 2022. His mother Sonia Gandhi was also questioned about her role in the day-to-day functioning of Young Indian Private Limited (YIL). The mother-son duo were questioned about the ownership of YIL by the Gandhi family and its shareholding pattern in Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the company that runs the National Herald newspaper.
ED began its probe in the National Herald case after Swamy filed a complaint in 2014, accusing Sonia, Rahul and other senior Congress leaders of taking over AJL properties for a mere sum of Rs 50 lakh. The properties are worth over Rs 2,000 crore.
The National Herald is published by AJL, which is owned by YIL . Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each hold a 38 per cent stake in Young Indian, making them its majority shareholders.
On April 12, ED served notices to take possession of immovable assets worth Rs 661 crore – in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow – that it had attached as part of a money laundering probe linked to National Herald newspaper and Associated Journals Limited (AJL).
The ED had attached these properties earlier by issuing a provisional attachment order in a PMLA case against AJL.
What happens if the charges are proven?
If convicted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the accused could face imprisonment of up to seven years.
Are the Gandhis in trouble?
The acquisition of AJL’s shares by YIL for Rs 50 lakh raises questions about the transaction’s propriety, including the lack of regulatory oversight.
The Congress has to explain why the ownership of AJL was given to a company in which the Gandhis have a 76 per cent stake.
Tag: Sonia Gandhi
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Gandhis beneficiaries of Rs 142 crore in National Herald case: Probe agency
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Sonia Gandhi’s letter to Rae Bareli states inability to contest upcoming Lok Sabha election due to age
New Delhi (TIP)- Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who on Wednesday, Feb 14, filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan, has in a letter to the people of her pocket borough, Rae Bareli, said that she would not be able to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election because of ill-health and age.
Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajai Rai said “there was no doubt” that Rae Bareli “would remain with the Nehru-Gandhi family”. Political circles are abuzz with speculation whether her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would contest the seat.
In her letter to the people of Rae Bareli in Hindi, Sonia, 77, wrote: “I’ll not contest the next election because of my (poor) health and age. I’ll not get the opportunity to serve you directly after taking this decision but my mind and heart will definitely remain with you. I know that you will support me and my family in every crisis.”
“I am proud to say that whatever I am today, I am because of you and I have always done my best to honour your trust,” Sonia, who has represented Rae Bareli five times since 2004, wrote.
In the message to voters, Sonia further said: “My family in Delhi is incomplete without you. It is complete when I come to Rae Bareli and meet all of you. My ties with you are very old. I have inherited these ties as a good fortune from my in-laws.” Noting that the ties of her family with Rae Bareli are “very deep-rooted”, she said the constituency had sent her father-in-law, Feroze Gandhi, to the Lok Sabha in the first general election held after Independence.
“After that, you accepted my mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi,” she noted. “Ever since, our relationship grew stronger on the difficult road to affection despite the highs and lows of life and our faith in this bond grew stronger. You allowed me space to walk along on this shining path. I came to you after losing my mother-in-law and husband and you accepted me with open arms,” the former Congress chief said. “I can never forget your staunch support for me through the adverse circumstances through the last two Lok Sabha elections,” Sonia recalled.
Sending her respect to elders and love to youngsters, she said: “I will see you soon.” Rai, the Uttar Pradesh Congress president, said in Varanasi: “There is no doubt that the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat will remain with the Nehru-Gandhi family. They have served the constituency for more than six decades and would continue doing so.”
Asked whether Priyanka would be the next candidate from there, Rai said: “Priyanka will win from wherever she contests in UP. Besides Rae Bareli, Amethi will also remain their preferred constituency.”
Arvind Chaturvedi, a spokesperson for the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC), claimed that Priyanka was all set to contest from Rae Bareli.
A source in the Congress said: “The UPCC has suggested that Priyanka join Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Varanasi and continue with him till Rae Bareli.”
Rahul will enter Uttar Pradesh with his Yatra through Chandauli district on Friday. C.P. Rai, chairman of the media cell of the state Congress, said: “Rahul will enter the state from the Naubatpur area in Chandauli. He will be in Varanasi on Saturday and take out a procession. Later, he will offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath temple and address a rally in Godaulia.”
Source: Telegraphindia -
Sonia launches a fierce attack on Modi government; Union ministers hit back, say ‘classic example of Modi hatred’
NEW DELHI (TIP): Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday, April 11, launched a fierce attack on the Modi government accusing it of “misusing every power”, drawing a sharp reaction from two union ministers who said her assessment was a “classic example of Modi hatred” and an “illusory” statement of the “highest improbity.” In an Op-Ed piece for “The Hindu”, Gandhi also said that with elections approaching in several key states, her party will take its message directly to people and join hands with all like-minded parties to defend the Constitution. Gandhi touched upon a range of issues in the opinion piece in which she also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of “systematically dismantling” all three pillars of India’s democracy — the legislature, the executive and the judiciary — with their actions demonstrating a “deep-rooted disdain for democracy and democratic accountability.” Gandhi underlined that the next few months will be a crucial test for India’s democracy and said the country is at the crossroads, alleging that the Modi government is bent on “misusing every power”.
“The Congress party will make every effort to take its message directly to the people, as it did in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and will join hands with all like-minded parties to defend the Constitution of India and its ideals.” She said the Congress’ battle is for safeguarding the voice of people and it understands its solemn duty as the principal opposition party. The former Congress chief added that her party is ready to work with all like-minded political parties to achieve this objective. She also alleged that the prime minister “ignores” the rising tide of hatred and violence, egged on by BJP and RSS leaders, and has not once called for peace or harmony or acted to rein in the offenders, let alone bring them to justice. “Religious festivals seem to have become occasions to intimidate and bully others — a far cry from when they were occasions for joy and celebration. Instead, there is intimidation and discrimination only on account of their religion, food, caste, gender or language.” In a scathing attack on the prime minister, she said his statements either ignore the most pressing issues of the day or are “platitudes and verbal gymnastics” to distract from these matters.
The Congress Parliamentary Party(CPP) chairperson said despite the prime minister’s best efforts, the people of the country cannot and will not be silenced. Law Minister Kiren Rijiju and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took to twitter to hit back at Gandhi over her article on democracy and independence of institutions. “Smt Sonia Gandhi is lecturing about Democracy? Congress Party talking about independence of Judiciary is: An illusory statement of the highest improbity,” Rijiju tweeted. Pradhan dubbed Gandhi’s remarks as a “classic example of Modi hatred, misplaced priorities and overestimation of relevance at the national level.” “It is the Congress which is at the crossroads and not the nation. The days ahead are crucial, but for the grand old party which is on the verge of a political crisis,” he said. In a series of tweets, he charged that from Rajasthan to Chhattisgarh and from Madhya Pradesh to Karnataka, the Congress must first take its message to its organizational apparatus which is withering due to lack of internal democracy as well as due to the coterie of sycophants. “It is not the test of democracy but purely the test of Congress. Congress leadership must come out of their illusion and wake up to the ground reality – India’s democracy is flourishing, people know PM Modi’s intentions and that is why they believe and bless him,” Pradhan said.
Sharing Gandhi’s article, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said it was a “thought-provoking indictment” of the Modi government. The Congress also shared the article from its official Twitter handle urging people to read the insightful piece of writing regarding what it alleged was “the government’s disdain for democracy and democratic accountability”. At a press conference, Congress’ media department head Pawan Khera said the present day situation is as horrifying as described in that article.
“The clouds of danger that we had thought earlier were hovering over democracy, those clouds are now raining in full swing…the challenges that are there before the Opposition, the Congress understands the responsibility of those challenges and will always be ready to discharge that responsibility,” Khera said when asked about the article. In the Op-Ed article, Gandhi said the people of India have learnt that when it comes to understanding the current situation, the prime minister’s actions speak far louder than his words.
“His statements — when he is not venting anger on the Opposition or blaming past leaders for today’s ills — either ignore the most pressing, vital issues of the day, or are platitudes and verbal gymnastics to gloss over or distract from these issues,” Gandhi alleged. Modi’s actions, on the other hand, leave little to the imagination on the BJP-led government’s true intentions, she added.
(Source: PTI) -
Bharat Jodo Yatra:Congress President Sonia Gandhi joins Bharat Jodo Yatra in Mandya
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Congress party is undertaking the 3,570-km ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ that began at Kanniyakumari on September 7, 2022 and will end at Srinagar covering 12 States in 150 days. The party’s biggest mass contact programme in the recent times will see 119 leaders, including former party president Rahul Gandhi.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which resumed its journey in Pandavapura in Karnataka’s Mandya district on Thursday, October 6, after a two-day Dasara break. She joined the padayatra led by her son and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for some time after it left Bellale village in Mandya district on Thursday, October 6 morning. Several other party leaders including former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D K Shivakumar walked alongside within a security ring thrown around her.
Ms. Gandhi has joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra for the first time since it began on September 7 and wound its way through parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala before entering Karnataka on September 30.
The morale of the Congress party in poll-bound Karnataka, which has been on a high ever since the yatra entered the State, has received a fresh boost with the entry of Ms. Gandhi, who arrived in Mysuru on Tuesday and spent the last two days at a forest resort in Kabini when the Bharat Jodo Yatra was on a two-day break for Dasara festival.
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ED summons Sonia Gandhi, Rahul in National Herald case
New Delhi (TIP)- Weeks after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal in connection with its National Herald money laundering probe, the central agency has summoned the party’s president Sonia Gandhi and Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi to appear before it on June 8 in connection with the case filed six months ago.
The summons drew furious reactions from the Congress, which described the case as “weird” since “no money was involved” and said that the charges were “more hollow than a pack of cards”. “We will face them. We are not a bit scared or overawed or intimidated by such cheap tactics,” the party’s spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said at a press conference along with the party’s communication head Randeep Surjewala.
Reacting to the Congress’ allegations that the Government was trying to quell the opposition like how the British had tried during the freedom struggle, BJP president J P Nadda said that “documents don’t lie, and documents are permanent and thereby they are being scrutinised”. “The problem is with the face but the mirror is being cleaned,” Nadda told reporters in Bhopal where he is on a three-day visit.
The ED case is based on a trial court order that allowed the Income Tax Department to probe the affairs of National Herald newspaper and conduct a tax assessment of Sonia and Rahul. The order was the result of a petition filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.
Swamy’s complaint had alleged cheating and misappropriation of funds on part of the Gandhis in acquiring the newspaper. Swami had alleged that the Gandhis acquired properties owned by National Herald by buying the newspaper’s erstwhile publishers, AJL, through an organisation called Young India in which they have 86 per cent stake. Sonia and Rahul were granted bail in the case by the trial court on December 19, 2015.
In Swamy’s complaint before the trial court, Sonia, Rahul and others have been accused of misappropriating funds by paying Rs 50 lakh for Young Indian (YI) to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to the Congress.
It was alleged that YI, which was incorporated in November 2010 with a capital of Rs 50 lakh, had acquired almost all the shareholding of AJL, which was running National Herald. The I-T department had claimed that the shares owned by Rahul in YI would lead him to have an income of Rs 154 crore and not about Rs 68 lakh, as was assessed earlier. It has already issued a demand notice for Rs 249.15 crore to YI for the assessment year 2011-12.
Earlier, ED had initiated a money laundering probe against AJL in 2018 in connection with a plot allotted to it in Haryana’s Panchkula by then chief minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The ED had attached the plot, accusing the company of having acquired it “fraudulently”. Hooda is an accused in the money laundering case registered by the agency in the matter.
The Congress said on Wednesday that the summons for Sonia and Rahul were received “just a few days ago” and Sonia will “100 per cent” appear before the ED. “If Rahul Gandhi is here, he will also go. Otherwise we will seek some time,” Singhvi said.
Singhvi said that AJL had come under financial stress over the decades after which the Congress stepped in and over a period of time gave around Rs 90 crore as financial support.“So AJL became an indebted company, a company with debt. AJL did what every company in India does…it converted its debt into equity. So this debt of Rs 90 crore was assigned to a new company. It is called Young India so that the books of AJL become debt-free,” he said.
Source: The Indian Express -
With an Eye on 2024, 19 Opposition parties decide to hold nationwide protest
NEW DELHI (TIP): Leaders of 19 Opposition parties, on August 20,2021 announced a joint agitation plan from September 20 to 30 after Congress president Sonia Gandhi urged them to rise above political compulsions to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
It’s time to rise above political compulsions — Sonia Gandhi, Congress
All secular, democratic forces must join hands — Sharad Pawar, NCP
Mamata proposes core committee to steer fight against BJP
Tejaswi Yadav seeks ‘driving seat’ for regional parties
In a signed statement, Opposition stalwarts, including NCP’s Sharad Pawar, TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, DMK’s MK Stalin, Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray and JMM’s Hemant Soren, called upon the people of India to defend “the secular, democratic, republican order with all their might”.
11 demands
- Augment production and ensure free vaccination
- Give Rs7,500 a month to families outside income tax bracket
- Reduce prices of fuel
- Repeal three farm laws & guarantee MSP to farmers
- Pegasus probe under SC
- Release political prisoners, including those in Bhima Koregaon case, anti-CAA protests
- Restore J&K’s full statehood
- Stop, reverse privatization
- Revive MSMEs
- Expand MGNREGA
Jabs for teachers, pupils
“Save India today, so that we can change it for a better tomorrow,” they said listing 11 demands, including restoration of full statehood and elections in Jammu and Kashmir, repeal of three farm laws and institution of an SC-led inquiry into the Pegasus snooping row.
The statement followed a major Opposition outreach in which Sonia Gandhi said, “Our ultimate goal is the 2024 Lok Sabha poll for which we have to begin planning systematically with the single-minded objective of giving to our country a government that believes in the values of the freedom movement and in the principles and provisions of our Constitution. This is a challenge, but together we can and must rise to it because there is simply no alternative to working cohesively together. We all have our compulsions, but clearly, a time has come when the interests of our nation demand that we rise above them.”
Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee proposed the formation of a core group of Opposition leaders to chalk out joint programs. The like-minded parties “needed to unite to defeat the BJP”, she said.
The meeting was attended by leaders of the TMC, NCP, DMK, Shiv Sena, JMM, CPI, CPM, NC, RJD, AIUDF, VCK, Loktantrik Janta Dal, JDS, RLD, RSP, Kerala Congress Mani, PDP and IUML. The BSP, AAP and SP skipped the event, but the Congress claimed SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had intimated about his absence.
In the meeting, symbolically organized on the birth anniversary of her husband and late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia blamed the government for the recent Parliament washout.
(Agencies)
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Indian Overseas Congress, USA writes to US lawmakers to investigate Facebook’s meddling in Indian elections
NEW YORK (TIP): The Indian Overseas Congress, USA has written to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the members of the members of the India Caucus to investigate Facebook’s meddling in the Indian electoral politics in favor of BJP, a Hindu nationalist party currently in power. The letter expresses serious concern over Facebook’s election-year interference, content bias, and the selective suppression of Indian citizens’ free expression.
The letter was triggered by a report in the Wallstreet Journal that detailed how Ankhi Das, a top executive in charge of the content, instructed her colleagues and said, “punishing violations by politicians from @narendramodi party would damage the company’s business prospects in the country”.
“India is the largest market for FACEBOOK and FACEBOOK owned WhatsApp in terms of the number of users, and therefore these companies have a huge responsibility in managing the content without religious bias and bigotry. However, FACEBOOK and WhatsApp have chosen the side of those that incite violence and encourage instability that has led to the destruction of lives and property” the letter further added.
The letter went on to say that “We recognize that India is an important partner in the region for the United States strategically and economically. But the actions of FACEBOOK and WhatsApp are undermining the democratic institutions and threatening the religious minorities. Under the Modi Administration, freedom of expression is being suppressed, media is being muzzled, judicial independence is being destroyed, and religious freedom is under attack, and the behavior of FACEBOOK is a prime example of influential businesses becoming enablers of such actions. This is a matter of great concern to the Indian Diaspora in the United States”.
The organization is actively seeking a congressional investigation into the abuses by Facebook and has formally requested that ” we respectfully request you to hold Congressional hearings on FACEBOOK’s efforts which undermine the values of liberal democracies in countries like India, drastically altering its political discourse like it has in the US and elsewhere.”
Ref:
“Facebook’s Hate-Speech Rules Collide with Indian Politics”, Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-hate-speech-india-politics-muslim-hindu-modi-zuckerberg-11597423346
“Facebook Executive Supported India’s Modi, Disparaged Opposition in Internal Messages”, Wall Street Journal.https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-executive-supported-indias-modi-disparaged-opposition-in-internal-messages-11598809348
“Who Were The Key Players Responsible for Facebook’s Support to Modi and the BJP?”, Newsclick. https://www.newsclick.in/part-3-who-were-key-players-responsible-facebooks-support-modi-and-bjp
“Facebook Ties to India’s BJP Under Scrutiny Over Hate Speech”, Time. https://time.com/5883993/india-facebook-hate-speech-bjp/
“Three Out of Facebook’s Seven Fact Checking Partners Have Shared Misinformation”, Alt News. https://www.altnews.in/3-out-of-facebooks-7-fact-checking-partners-have-shared-misinformation-post-pulwama/
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Indian Overseas Congress, USA, seeks dismissal of Ankhi Das, FACEBOOK content Chief in India
NEW YORK (TIP): Indian Overseas Congress, USA, an advocacy group that promotes democracy, freedom, and equal justice in India, condemns the FACEBOOK management for its election-year interference, content bias, and suppression of free expression by Indian citizens to help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that is in power.
The Wall Street Journal dated August 14, 2020 (https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-hate-speech-india-politics-muslim-hindu-modi-zuckerberg-11597423346), wrote a story on how FACEBOOK’s blatant bias and dubious practices in India in favor of the Modi government is having an impact on the social media as regards its citizen’s right to express their opinions in public. These revelations shine a light on how major business houses that include Ambani’s Jio platform and Tech companies in Silicon Valley are heavily invested in India’s current politics and interferes in its communal fault lines.
“It is quite unfortunate that a company founded in a free society undermines the very essence of that philosophy in a sister democracy in the world and that too in favor of a political party that demonstrated its disdain for pluralism, democracy and freedom of religion, “ said George Abraham, Vice-Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, USA.
It has been reported that Ms. Ankhi Das, the content manager in charge of FACEBOOK in India, is said to have told her colleagues “punishing violations by politicians from the @narendramodi party would damage the company’s business prospects in the country.” Reuters reported that a handful of employees had written a letter asking FACEBOOK to denounce “anti-Muslim” bigotry” from BJP politicians that Ankit Das said to have protected.
“Congress party valiantly fought for freedom and independence and the dignity of every Indian for the last 74 years, and it is regrettable to see that India’s democracy has now been undermined by a profit-making company such as FACEBOOK,” said Mohinder Singh, president of the IOC, USA.
It is a well-known fact that India is the largest market for FACEBOOK and WhatsApp, and these companies have a huge responsibility in managing the content without bias and bigotry. However, they have chosen the side of those that incite violence and encourage instability that has led to destruction of lives and property. Facebook shoulders a heavy responsibility for what has transpired.
IOC, USA, supports the proposal by the AICC asking Facebook to set up a panel to investigate the blatant bias regarding BJP-RSS and punish those who have engaged in such dubious practices. As a first step, Ankhi Das, who is the content manager for FACEBOOK in India, should be relieved of her duties and be investigated for her connection to a political party since her actions have tainted the company’s reputation as an independent arbiter of opposing viewpoints.
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PRESIDENTIAL POLL ON MIND, BIHAR CM CALLS ON SONIA
NEW DELHI (TIP): Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, setting off speculation on the possibility of a united Opposition fielding a joint candidate for the upcoming Presidential election.
Nitish spent about half an hour with Sonia. It was after a long time that the AICC president met a senior leader after she took ill in August last year. The CPM has already indicated its willingness to back a common nominee against a BJP candidate. Indications are that the Opposition parties may agree on fielding former JD (U) chief Sharad Yadav, a Rajya Sabha MP.
Within the Congress there is an understanding that non-NDA outfits must come together to throw a challenge to the BJP. If the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Left parties are to come together, the nominee has to be acceptable to both, and Yadav fits the bill, claim sources. “It’s still early. Let us see what happens,” said a Congress source, sounding cautious.