‘Conspiracy of malicious intent has been foiled’: Cong on Herald order

NEw new new delhi: Hours after a Delhi margaret court refused to use up ken of the Enforcement Directorate(ED)’s allegations of money laundering in the National Herald case against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, the party claimed that “the conspiracy of malicious intent for political revenge” has been foiled.Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Tuesday that “The continuous five-day, 50-hour interrogation was nothing but a political witch hunt, which the Congress party faced head-on. Now, with the FIR quashed, it has been proven once again that truth has prevailed, and truth will always prevail.”“When false allegations were made to defame the National Herald, the Congress party, and our leaders, I said then that if we weren’t afraid of the British, then what are the BJP-RSS or Modi-Shah? Today, the court has also declared the Modi government’s actions illegal, thus foiling this conspiracy hatched with malicious intent for political revenge,” he added.BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia countered the Congress’ narrative in a post on X. “No cognizance is not a clean chit, law doesn’t run on hashtags. The Dismissal is Procedural, Not on Merit. There is no finding in favour of the accused. The court has not examined innocence, legality of transactions, or absence of proceeds of crime,” Bhatia said.He also claimed there is no exoneration. “The dismissal does not rule on the merits of the ED’s allegations regarding money laundering or the fraudulent takeover of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) assets. The primary criminal case, which originated from the private complaint filed by Subramanian Swamy, alleging cheating, criminal conspiracy, and breach of trust (the predicate offence), is still pending trial in the Delhi Court. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi were summoned in that original case and are out on bail. The court has not acquitted them in this case,” Bhatia said in the X post.Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said the court’s ruling showed that the case is “without jurisdiction, without FIR”. “Time and time again, the BJP-controlled ED has tried its best to frame the Congress leadership in the totally bogus National Herald case. Today’s verdict of the Honourable Court declaring that the entire case is without jurisdiction, without FIR, and as such without basis, proves that this was purely driven by political vendetta,” Venugopal said.He called it “a tight slap” on the face of all those who “repeatedly try to besmirch Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi through this frivolous case. This verdict today should come as a clear message to the vendetta-driven investigation agencies including ED who will go any extent to appease their masters with malicious cases.”“The Congress and its leadership is at the forefront of challenging the present regime’s assault on our democracy and the Constitution. We are prepared for all the challenges thrown at us, and we know that in the end - the truth alone triumphs,” Venugopal added.Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP and top lawyer Abhishek Singhvi represented the Gandhis.Congress’ media department head Pawan Khera linked the legal reprieve with Rahul Gandhi’s tirade against vote rigging. “The case against Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was clearly politically motivated, stemming from the BJP government’s growing frustration as the Congress party had been consistently exposing its failures for the past 11 years.”“As soon as Leader of the Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi exposed the BJP government’s vote-rigging, the BJP government and its agencies, including the ED, ran out of legitimate accusations. When facts failed them, the theatrics began, selective prosecutions were initiated, new charges were fabricated, and a desperate attempt was made to keep political opponents perpetually in the dock,” he added.Khera described the quashing of the FIR as a “resounding blow to the BJP’s politics of harassment and exposed its political vendetta and its reckless attempts to persecute the opposition.”“The BJP government has relentlessly targeted the Gandhi family through the ED, CBI, and Income Tax Department, but the Gandhi family will never bow down because they stand firmly with the truth. The quashing of the FIR clearly demonstrates that the BJP’s politics are based on vendetta, intimidation, harassment, and spreading fear, orchestrated at the behest of those with a criminal mindset,” he said.