MP Dy CM Rajendra Shukla slams Congress on National Herald case

Bhopal, April 19 (IANS) Senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla on Saturday criticised the Congress, accusing it of attempting to build pressure on investigating agencies in connection with the National Herald case.

The minister alleged that whenever Congress' top leadership faces "corruption charges", they start making excuses, blame the BJP and question central agencies' credibility.

Interacting with media persons in Datia, he said: "People booked under charges of corruption won't accept action, instead, they would blame the agencies and others. But, there is a law to take action. Congress is blaming the BJP and agencies because they have nothing to say in defence."

Notably, since the day the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed its first charge sheet on the high-profile National Herald case against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, there has been relentless protest from the grand old party across the country.

In Madhya Pradesh, where the Congress is the main opposition, protests against the ED and the BJP are being organised by different wings of the state Congress in Bhopal and other parts.

In that sequence, the youth wing of the state Congress held a massive protest in Bhopal on Friday.

Senior Congress leaders, including ex-Chief Ministers Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath, as well as the party's state unit chief Jitu Patwari, have been relentlessly accusing the BJP's central leadership of misusing the investigating agencies to suppress the opposition.

The ED has filed a prosecution complaint against Sonia, Rahul and others in the National Herald case. The matter is listed for argument in Rouse Avenue Court, one of the six district courts in the national capital, on April 25.

The investigation by ED commenced in 2021, following a complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

The complaint highlighted a criminal conspiracy by several prominent political figures, including Sonia, Rahul, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and Young Indian for alleged involvement in a money laundering case.

--IANS

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