Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Saturday sharpened their attack on the Congress amid fresh developments in the National Herald money laundering case, with Union health minister and party president J.P. Nadda accusing the Himachal Pradesh government of misusing public money, and Union minister Piyush Goyal backing the Enforcement Directorate’s action as a step to protect the nation’s assets.
Addressing mediapersons in Kangra during his two-day visit to Himachal Pradesh, Nadda lashed out at the Congress-led state government, alleging that it was spending crores of rupees on advertisements in the National Herald, a newspaper he said was “neither sold nor seen” in the state.
“This is blatant misuse of public money,” Nadda said. “At a time when salaries and pensions are being delayed in the state, the government’s priority seems to be bailing out a newspaper that has no local readership. This speaks volumes of their intent.”
The BJP chief, who was welcomed by party workers at Kangra airport and later travelled to Chamba to address a public meeting, also held discussions with senior party leaders. Dharamshala BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma paid a courtesy call to Nadda during his visit.
In Mumbai, Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said the Enforcement Directorate’s actions in the National Herald case were about “safeguarding national assets from being siphoned off under the guise of political legacy.”
The remarks come days after the ED filed a chargesheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others in the National Herald case. The chargesheet, submitted on April 9, is set to be considered by a special court in Delhi on April 25.
According to the ED, Young Indian Pvt Ltd, in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi reportedly hold 38% stake each and the Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), which publishes the *National Herald*, were used to generate proceeds of crime. These include bogus donations of ₹18 crore, fake advance rents worth ₹38 crore, and inflated advertisement payments of ₹29 crore.
The agency has already attached high-value properties, including Delhi’s Herald House, premises in Mumbai’s Bandra and a building in Lucknow, and has moved to take formal possession under Section 8 of the PMLA.
The case, which originated from a complaint filed in 2012 by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, alleges that Congress functionaries used Young Indian to acquire AJL’s assets — including prime real estate in a “malicious” manner after the newspaper ceased publication in 2008 with debts exceeding Rs 90 crore.
The Congress has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Reacting to the chargesheet, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh called the ED’s probe “a state-sponsored crime masquerading as rule of law” and said the leadership would “not be silenced”.
The National Herald, founded in 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru and other freedom fighters, was established to give voice to liberal thought within the Congress party. Over time, it became the party’s official mouthpiece and published in Hindi, Urdu and English through AJL.
(With inputs from PTI)