‘Let RSS accounts be audited’: Priyank Kharge on ED chargesheet against Gandhis in National Herald case; blames Modi govt

Karnataka State Minister Priyank Kharge sharply criticised the Modi government, accusing it of deploying the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (IT) departments during times of national economic crisis and job losses. This comes after ED filed a chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the high-profile National Herald case.

“Whenever Mr Modi's popularity is down, whenever there is an economic crisis, whenever job losses are huge, the Modi government brings out IT and ED. They have been in power for a decade, yet, they have not been able to fix any charges in any of the ED cases. What is the success rate of ED and IT cases?,” he asked. 

“If, at all, the central government is keen on finding out where black money is going, where the money laundering is happening, they should start raiding their own offices...Let there be an audit on that, let RSS accounts be audited. Will they allow that? The real money laundering is happening through election bonds, through RSS offices and I think if, at all, this government has any iota of shame, if they want to show that they are a transparent government, let them start filing cases against RSS and their own party people first,” he said. 

The charges revolve around an alleged "criminal conspiracy" by Congress leaders to "usurp" properties worth Rs 2,000 crore belonging to the Associated Journals Limited (AJL). The properties were reportedly transferred to Young Indian Limited (YIL) for a mere Rs 50 lakh, with both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi being majority shareholders holding 38 per cent each.

The chargesheet names Sonia Gandhi as accused number 1 and Rahul Gandhi as accused number 2. The ED has alleged that the AJL properties were "maliciously" taken over, converting a loan of Rs 90.21 crore into equity shares worth Rs 9.02 crore in favour of YIL, thereby transferring "beneficial" ownership of these properties to the Gandhis. The chargesheet also mentions the involvement of other Congress leaders and companies, indicating a complex web of financial transactions designed to generate illicit funds.

Young Indian Limited was registered as a 'not for profit' organisation, yet the ED's investigation found "no such charitable activity in the company". It highlighted that no expenses were recorded for declared charitable activities. The organisation's financial dealings have raised questions about its operational transparency and the legitimacy of its charitable status. The ED's chargesheet has intensified a long-standing political and legal battle initiated by a complaint from BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2012.

The National Herald newspaper, founded by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938, ceased operations in 2008 amid financial difficulties. The newspaper was a key player during India's independence movement but struggled financially due to lack of advertising revenue and overstaffing.