Congress slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government, for misusing the central agency to suppress the Opposition party in the country.
Congress members started protests outside the party office at Akbar Road in New Delhi, with demonstrations gradually spreading out to the ED office and party offices across the country.
Watch the videos here:
#WATCH | Congress workers hold a protest against the central government at their 24, Akbar Road party office in Delhi.
The party is holding a nationwide protest in front of Enforcement Directorate offices at the State Headquarters and in front of Central Government offices at… pic.twitter.com/Yj1aAKDGry— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2025
ED filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi alleging money laundering in the National Herald Case, at Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi, on April 9, which was examined by special judge Vishal Gogne on April 15. The judge posted the next hearing for the matter on April 25.
The ED chargesheet also named Congress members Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey as accused.
The Congress, on April 15, called for nationwide protests against the BJP government and the ED action.
#WATCH | Heavy security deployed outside Congress Office in Delhi’s Akbar Road
Congress to hold a nationwide protest in front of Enforcement Directorate offices at the State Headquarters and in front of Central Government offices at the district level in the respective states… pic.twitter.com/82sAjAvHeO— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2025
Congress BJP spar over the case
The protests have sparked debate over the agency’s position as being a puppet of the Union government, and a spar between the BJP and Congress workers along with their supporters online.
With Congress leaders accusing the BJP of misusing the agency for its political gains, BJP members stated that Congress was afraid of the action due to its role in the case.
Congress national spokesperson Jairam Ramesh called the action “political vendetta” and a “state-sponsored crime”.
“Seizing the assets of the National Herald is a state-sponsored crime masquerading as the rule of law. Filing chargesheets against Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and some others is nothing but the politics of vendetta and intimidation by the PM and the HM gone completely berserk. The INC and its leadership will not be silenced. Satyameva Jayate,” Ramesh wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
VIDEO | Police detain Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav (@devendrayadvinc) and other party workers during protest against the Centre over the Enforcement Directorate filing a chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others on charges of money laundering in the… pic.twitter.com/In8wnCFp7C
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 16, 2025
BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan said the protests against the agency’s action only raised more suspicion on the role of Congress leaders.
“Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, who are out on bail in the National Herald case, may be above the rules and constitution of the dynastic Congress party but they are not above Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution where everybody is equal before the law of the land,” Kesavan told PTI.
“Protest against the chargesheet by the Congress party today in an effort to intimidate the agencies only raises more serious suspicions about the integrity of the Congress leadership in the National Herald case,” he added.
VIDEO | Delhi: Police remove Congress workers protesting against the Centre over the Enforcement Directorate filing a chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others on charges of money laundering in the National Herald case.#NationalHeraldCase #DelhiNews
(Full video… pic.twitter.com/an4sfJVU4E— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 16, 2025
Witch-hunt against Rahul, Sonia: VenugopalÂ
Congress MP KC Venugopal slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the ED action by calling it a witch-hunt against the Congress leaders to silence the opposition.
“The Modi-Shah regime’s vendetta against the Opposition knows no bounds. The witch hunt against Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji and LOP Sh. @RahulGandhi ji, using the frivolous, politically motivated & fabricated National Herald case, is a clear example of their attempt at intimidation and silencing of opposition voices,” he wrote on X.
The Modi-Shah regime’s vendetta against the Opposition knows no bounds. The witch hunt against Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji and LOP Sh. @RahulGandhi ji, using the frivolous, politically motivated & fabricated National Herald case, is a clear example of their attempt at intimidation and…
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) April 15, 2025
Meanwhile, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Congress does not have a right to misappropriate government funds accusing the party leaders of money laundering.
“Congress party has the right to protest, but it does not have the right to misappropriate government properties and give it to the National Herald… A corporate conspiracy was hatched in a very interesting way to get this entire property into the hands of the family…” Prasad told reporters at a press conference.
“And what are these properties- one property on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi, properties in Mumbai, Lucknow, Bhopal, and Patna. Young India Limited was supposed to be a charitable organisation, but till now, it is not known what charity it did… Writing off ₹90 crores for ₹50 lakhs and acquiring property worth thousands of crores…” he added.
#WATCH | Delhi | On ED’s prosecution complaint against Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and others in alleged National Herald money laundering case, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad says, “One thing should be kept in mind that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are out on bail. They knocked on… pic.twitter.com/FNZCAPdS4w
— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2025
(With agency inputs)Â Â
