Former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar on Thursday said Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy's charges against Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi on the now defunct National Herald newspaper issue were a 'pack of lies' and 'utterly false'. Speaking to reporters after participating in a function at his constituency Mayiladuthurai, he said Swamy was in the habit of levelling charges at others, "most of which turn out to be false."

"The allegations against Sonia and Rahul are utterly false and baseless. Their hands are clean," he said.

On November 1, Swamy targetted Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, raising questions over acquisition of a company that published the now-defunct National Herald newspaper to which Congress gave a loan of over Rs. 90 crore.

He alleged they had floated a Section 25 company called 'Young Indian' each with a share holding of 38%, which acquired Associated Journals, founded by late Jawaharlal Nehru, that published National Herald and Quami Awaz.

Swamy also said Associated Journals obtained an unsecured loan of over Rs. 90 crore from AICC which he claimed was illegal under Income Tax Act because a political party cannot give loans for commercial purposes.