Bhubaneswar, April 17: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sambit Patra on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, calling the National Herald money laundering case a "robbery" rather than mere corruption.
Speaking at a press conference in Bhubaneswar, Patra referred to the Gandhis as “modern-day dacoits” and accused them of orchestrating a financial fraud through the Young Indian and Associated Journals Limited (AJL) entities.
“This is not just corruption or theft; it is blatant robbery. From today, don’t refer to it as a scam—this is the National Herald robbery case,” Patra said.
“Can a political party that survives on public donations act like a bank? How did the Congress party lend funds to Young Indian and AJL?” he questioned.
Detailing the financial trail, Patra alleged that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi held 76% of shares in Young Indian, effectively making them its owners. “Young Indian was formed with a capital of just ₹5 lakh, which they did not have. They took a ₹1 crore loan from Dotex India to fund the company. This shows how far they were willing to go to gain control over AJL’s assets,” he claimed.
Patra further highlighted that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed a chargesheet on April 15 in connection with the case.
“Since the BJP came to power in 2014, we’ve been pursuing this matter seriously. The question now is: will Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi go to jail for this? This case dates back to 2012-13, and the legal process is now gaining momentum,” he said.
The ED's chargesheet names Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other senior Congress leaders, including Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey, along with multiple associated firms. The complaint has been filed under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, citing offences under Section 3 read with Section 70, and punishable under Section 4 of the same Act.
The matter is now listed for arguments on cognisance at the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi on April 25.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne noted that the ED's counsel submitted that the predicate offence in the case (Complaint Case No. 18/2019) includes charges under IPC Sections 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy). These offences are currently under trial in the same court.
Citing Section 44(1)(c) of the PMLA, the judge observed that both the predicate offence and the money laundering charges must be tried within the same court and jurisdiction, consolidating the judicial process.
The original complaint in the case was filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other individuals linked to the Congress party and associated entities.
