'Newspaper was only instrument to collect ads, builds properties': Ravi Shankar Prasad slams Rahul, Sonia in National Herald case

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad

Asserting that no one has a "license to loot", senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad dismissed the Congress' charge of vendetta after the Enforcement Directorate (ED ) chargesheeted Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald Case.

While addressing a press conference on Wednesday morning, Prasad alleged that the Congress hatched a "corporate conspiracy" to ensure that property comes into the Gandhi family's hands.

"Congress is really troubled. They are talking about protesting across the country. They have that right, but they don't have the right to loot land and funds. On behalf of the BJP, I would like to clarify that though the Congress has every right to stage a dharna, it does not have the right to misappropriate private property given by the government to the National Herald,” he said.

#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

Talking about the history of National Herald and Young India Limited, Prasad alleged that the Opposition party misappropriated the party's funds, calling it a 'corporate conspiracy.'

"In 2008, the publication of National Herald was closed, after that Congress gave 90 crores to Associated Journal Limited, who publishes National Herald....a political party cannot give their party's fund to a private body, that is important to know. That is prohibited," he said. "There was a corporate conspiracy to make it so that the assets would come back to the family. They made Young India, where 38 per cent was of Sonia (Gandhi) and 38 was of Rahul, then Motilal Borah and others.”

He further claimed that the properties under the name Associated Journals Limited were transferred to Young India Limited, which was supposed to be a charitable organisation.

"After the transfer of money to Young India, the company of which the Gandhi family owns shares, acquired certain properties. And what are these properties- one property on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi and 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," he said.

He said the law under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government will do its work.

"One thing should be kept in mind that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are out on bail. They knocked on the doors of the High Court and Supreme Court to quash the case but did not get any relief... Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi should answer whether the law should be allowed to take its course or not? ... Sardar Patel had said that the kind of people giving money to the National Herald were not good people... Still, why a newspaper which had the full protection, promotion, and patronage of the Congress party could not at all flourish? Because this newspaper was only an instrument to collect advertisements and to build properties through government cooperation...," he said.

The ED on Tuesday filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court against Rahul, Sonia and others in the alleged National Herald case.

Congress has strongly protested the move, terming it "politically motivated." It started nationwide protests against the BJP-led government in front of ED offices at the district levels in respective states.