Congress MPs and members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) will march along with Rahul Gandhi to the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Delhi on Monday, 13 June, in protest. Party workers will also hold similar protests in front of the ED's offices across the country.
This comes amid summons issued to Rahul Gandhi and party chief Sonia Gandhi to appear before the ED in connection with a case of alleged money laundering linked to the National Herald newspaper.
Rahul Gandhi was asked to appear before the central agency on 13 June. The party chief, on the other hand, was summoned on 8 June, but said that she was unable to go as she was still suffering from COVID-19.
The National Herald Case
The case involves allegations of cheating, conspiracy, and criminal breach of trust in the acquisition of the Associated Journals Limited – which ran the newspaper – by Young Indian Pvt Ltd.
The ED had said that it wanted to record the statements of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
A fresh case had been filed into the matter under the PMLA's criminal provisions after a court took notice of a probe conducted by the Income Tax Department against Young India Pvt Ltd, which owns National Herald, after BJP MP Subramanian Swamy filed a criminal complaint in connection with the matter.
Swamy had alleged that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had conspired to misappropriate funds, as Young Indian had paid only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover around Rs 90 crore which was owed to the Congress by Associate Journals Ltd.
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