Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Congress on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of continuing with their “mischievous politics of harassment, intimidation, and vendetta” against the Congress top leadership while calling a Delhi Police FIR against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in connection with the National Herald issue as “completely bogus”.
It also described the FIR, which was registered on October 3 on the basis of an Enforcement Directorate complaint and came in public domain on Sunday, as “neither wine new nor bottle new nor glasses new”.
Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said that those who threaten are themselves “insecure and afraid”. “The Modi-Shah duo is continuing with its mischievous politics of harassment, intimidation, and vendetta against the top leadership of the INC...The National Herald matter is a completely bogus case. Justice will ultimately triumph. Satyameva Jayate,” he posted on 'X'.
Senior Congress MP and lawyer Abhishek Singhvi said, “one trick wonder of a case where no money moved, where no immovable property transferred yet money laundering (was) invented upon creation of Young Indian as a not for profit company to merely hold shares of AJL, which in turn runs and holds brand National Herald and continues to hold all property as before and as always.”
Singhvi, who was appearing for the Gandhis in the case, claimed that the condition for money laundering -- movement of money and conversion of unaccounted to white money -- was always absent, yet a “politically malicious proceeding continuing”.
"Ironically, Gandhis and other Cong functionaries as directors of Young Indian cannot get dividends, cannot distribute profits, get not one perk, yet are accused of money laundering. Current FIR created by adding few lines re-infusion of money by a private company to enable payment of assignment money by Young Indian to make AJL debt free," he posted on ‘X’..
He also claimed that the new FIR is also an "unintended and inadvertent tribute" to his arguments before the court pointing out that no predicate offence existed.
"I also said that if there is no predicate offence, there cannot be a PMLA offence. Possibly to take care of that huge jurisdictional gap, the present new FIR with a minor change has been filed. Overzealous prosecutor and over clever prosecution. Please remember this is criminal law, not supposed to be adversarial or malicious," he added.
The reactions came as Delhi Police registered the FIR, which came in public domain on Sunday, accusing the Gandhis and others of cheating and criminal conspiracy of fraudulently acquired Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) that was publishing the party mouthpiece. The case was registered on the basis of a complaint by the ED.