ANI |
Updated: Apr 16, 2025 19:48 IST
New Delhi [India], April 16 (ANI): Following the chargesheet filed against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sudhanshu Trivedi on Wednesday emphasised that the issue at hand is one of morality, rather than legality.
He accused the Congress party of distorting the legacy of freedom fighters, an “old disease,” in his words. Trivedi clarified that the BJP is not directly blaming Jawaharlal Nehru but rather pointing out internal allegations made against the Nehru-Gandhi family.
He cited memoirs of notable figures such as Sardar Patel and CB Gupta, which reference criticisms of Nehru’s actions by other leaders like Purshottam Das Tandon and Acharya Narendra Dev.
Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “The question is of morality. The way the Congress party played with the legacy of freedom fighters is an old disease. Congress will allege that we are blaming Nehru, but we are not blaming Nehru. Sardar Patel and CB Gupta have written this in their memoirs, giving reference to Purshottam Das Tandon, Acharya Narendra Dev, Shiv Prasad Gupta and Shriprakash Ji… If Congress is unaware of the internal allegations made on the Nehru-Gandhi family, there is not much to say for me. Blaming legal procedures is wrong.”
He further said that the issue started in 2012 and in October 2013, during the UPA regime under the direction of the Delhi HC. The case had started through a PIL, and Congress leaders had apprehensions against the National Herald since 1950.
“Senior Congress leader CB Gupta, the four-time CM of UP, wrote in his memoir that he was suprised that National Herald was considered as a property of the Nehru family. If there is an investigation by an inquiry commission into how funds were collected for the National Herald, there will be a big expose. CB Gupta said that from the beginning of the policy of National Herald, it was to promote Nehru and his daughter for freedom of the press when attacking whoever criticises the wrong policies of the Nehru family,” he said.
Earlier, several Congress workers were detained by the police in various states as they held nationwide agitation against the Central government after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a prosecution complaint against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.
The Congress workers were detained in Lucknow and Bengaluru by the police of the respective states.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar lashed out at the ED over the charges against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others in the National Herald case and stated that it was a great injustice, further calling it a political vendetta.
Speaking to the media, the Deputy CM said, “Whatever the ED has submitted is not proper. It is a great injustice; in no way has the Gandhi family benefited from it. It is the property of the Congress party. They are the Head of the party; they were the presidents of the party…It is only a political vendetta.”
The Congress Party has launched a massive protest against the Central government and investigative agencies. The protest follows the ED filing a chargesheet against Congress leaders Rahul and Sonia Gandhi in connection with the National Herald.
Protests have been organised across the country, with several prominent leaders at the forefront. (ANI)