Will not be cowed down by such threats: Cong on ED chargesheet in National Herald case
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New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday claimed that the ED chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case only shows the panic and moral bankruptcy of the government, and said it will not be cowed down by such threats.
In a long post in Hindi, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh issued an explainer of the financial loan given to Associated Journals Limited, the company running National Herald, and termed as false the charges that Young Indian has taken over Rs 5,000 crore of properties of Associated Journals.
"You have been in power for 11 years, you have no evidence, no proof, nothing - otherwise you would not have been forced to wait for the 365th day.
"This shows not only the government's panic but also their mental and moral bankruptcy. Modi ji, this is the Congress party. The blood of Rahul ji and Sonia Gandhi's own people is mixed in the soil of this country, show these false threats to someone else," Ramesh said.
"We will continue to raise our voice loudly against your failures, your collusion with capitalists, your politics of hatred, how unemployed and helpless you have made this country, what is the condition of women, Dalits, backward, tribals under your nose," he also said.
Congress leader Pawan Khera, in a video post on X, said it was the British who used to fear from the publication National Herald in the past while it is the RSS now.
"The British were irritated before 1947 with the National Herald, Gandhi family and Congress party, and now the Sanghis are getting irritated in the year 2025. The Gandhi family and the Congress party were the voice of the oppressed then and still are today.
"Filing a money laundering case against a not-for-profit company in which not even a single rupee was transacted and no property was transferred shows Modi's fear," Khera said in his post.
Ramesh explained the truth about AJL and Young Indian, saying the claims that 'Young Indian' took over AJL, the Gandhi family is making a lot of money from it and Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi embezzled money are all false.
He said Associated Journals Ltd publishes a newspaper - National Herald, it was founded by people like Nehru, Ravi Ahmed Kidwai and Purushottam Das Tandon.
"National Herald was the voice of the freedom struggle when most newspapers used to print the views of the British. National Herald was also banned by the British government," he noted.
"AJL had a huge debt, so the Congress party gave it a loan of Rs 90 crore through 100 bank transactions/ cheques between 2002-2011. This loan was used to pay VRS, gratuity, PF, tax, electricity bill," he claimed.
On the formation of 'Young Indian' Company, he said, AJL had so much debt that its operations had stopped, so AJL's debt was converted into equity and transferred to a new company Young Indian.
"This is a common practice, the government itself has converted the debt of many companies into equity in NCLT. Young Indian is a not-for-profit company and it is a Section 25 not for profit company - in which the shareholders cannot get even a single penny of profit, dividend, salary etc," he noted.
Ramesh said Young Indian had four shareholders - Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Oscar Fernandes, Motilal Vora (then party president, general secretary, organization general secretary and treasurer).
"AJL had 700 shareholders, the debt was converted into shares only after their consent in the EGM - due to which Young Indian also became another shareholder," he said.
Asserting that Young Indian did not takeover AJL, Ramesh said, "All assets and income belong to AJL, not Young Indian. Any rental goes to AJL - not to Young Indian or any of its shareholders. AJL does not have property worth Rs 5,000 crores. Another lie told is that AJL has property worth Rs 5,000 crores and the IT Dept itself has valued all the properties of AJL at just Rs 359 crores. Now AJL publishes Navjeevan and National Herald newspapers, publishes Qaumi Awaaz, runs websites, social media handles".
Explaining the case timeline, he said in 2013, Subramanian Swamy went to court in this case and fought this case till 2020 after which he started speaking against PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, due to which Modi and Shah became apprehensive.
"Out of fear, the government filed another case on its behalf. In 2023, the government's ED issued a provisional order of attachment. On 10 April, 2024, the tribunal confirmed this provisional order of attachment, within 365 days of which ED had to file a charge sheet. They filed this fake charge sheet on 9 April, 2025, the 365th day - which has been made public today," he said.
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‘Leave or else’: Hate video forces Kashmiri students out of colleges in Uttarakhand
Dehradun: In response to a threatening video circulating on social media, in which a Hindu Raksha Dal leader warned Kashmiri Muslims to leave Uttarakhand by 10 a.m. or face consequences, Dehradun Police have stepped up security and removed 25 inflammatory posts online.
According to a report by The Indian Express, Lalit Sharma, a Hindu Raksha Dal leader, stated in the video that they are hurt by the incident which took place in Pahalgam. “If we see any Kashmiri Muslim in the state after 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, we will give them the right treatment. Tomorrow, all our workers will leave their homes to give this treatment to Kashmiri Muslims. We won’t wait for the government to take action,” he warned, reiterating that Kashmiri Muslims will face unimaginable action if they do not leave by 10:00 a.m.
The threat prompted immediate concern among Kashmiri students studying in Dehradun. A student at Doon PG College noted that at least five Kashmiri students had already abandoned their exams and left for the airport. “Fifteen students have an exam today and we have come to the college. They were getting threats from right-wing groups,” TIE report quoted him as saying.
Similarly, a second-year BSc student at BFIT Dehradun mentioned that he and his friends booked an evening flight on Thursday after receiving the ultimatum. He shared that their professors advised them to relocate to a safer area 50 km away. “They were thinking of sending us to Chandigarh but we decided to leave the campus at around 2:00 a.m. on Thursday and take a flight to Delhi. Our professor gave us his car and guard,” he said. The student added that they will stay in Kashmir till September as their summer break will begin soon.
Senior Superintendent of Police Ajai Singh assured that local law enforcement is in direct contact with college deans and wardens to guarantee the safety of Kashmiri students. “All are assured of security, and anyone breaking the law will face strict action,” Singh was quoted as saying by TIE.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said his government was in touch with governments of states where Kashmiris were allegedly being harassed in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
"The J&K government is in touch with the governments of the states where these reports are originating from. I'm also in touch with my counterpart Chief Ministers in these states and have requested they take extra care," Abdullah posted on X.
8th Incident: Second Open Threat Call.
— Nasir Khuehami (ناصر کہویہامی) (@NasirKhuehami) April 24, 2025
Hindutva outfit Hindu Raksha Dal has once again openly issued threats to identify and physically assault Kashmiri Muslim students in Uttarakhand starting today allegedly in retaliation for the tragic killing of tourists in Pahalgam. Members… pic.twitter.com/9x8V3yy7UD
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