Herald case: BJP steps up attack on Gandhi family

BJP on Saturday stepped up attack on the Congress' Gandhi family accusing it of trying to “appropriate public premises” by transferring it to a family owned trust.

The attack came a day after the Delhi High Court asked Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of Congress mouthpiece National Herald, to vacate its premises here.

“What kind of activity people who ask us questions about the Rafale deal do,” Law Minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said and asked the two top Congress leaders to explain their position.

Congress has said it would approach the Supreme Court against the high court order contending that there was nothing illegal or against the law in the matter.

“We have a very strong case in AJL and there is nothing illegal or against the law in the case and we are confident of getting complete justice in the higher court,” a Congress spokesperson said.

In an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi's barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the latter should look him in the eye and answer his questions, Prasad said he and his mother should look the media in its eye and answer questions about the matter.

“They should respond to the court's order. They should answer as to how public premises and land worth Rs 5,000 crore were transferred in a surreptitious manner to a family-owned trust for Rs 50 lakh,” Prasad said.

It has been alleged that properties of Associated Journal Ltd (AJL), publisher of Congress mouthpiece National Herald, were transferred to Young Indian, which Prasad said to a trust retained by the Gandhi family, for mere Rs 50 lakh.

Prasad noted that a criminal case has also been filed in the matter and Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were given bail in the case.