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Congress pressuring agencies to keep wrongdoings of Gandhis under wraps: Irani
Congress held protests against the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s questioning of Rahul Gandhi in connection with the probe into alleged money laundering linked to the National Herald newspaper
NEW DELHI: Union minister Smriti Irani on Monday accused the Congress of pressuring investigating agencies to keep the “financial wrongdoings” of the Gandhi family under wraps. She said the protests against the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s questioning of Rahul Gandhi in connection with a probe into alleged money laundering linked to the National Herald newspaper is not to save democracy, but to protect the former Congress president’s properties worth ₹2,000 crore.
Irani said questions should be asked of the Gandhi family about their links to the company, Dotex Merchandise Private Limited, which is linked to a hawala entry operator in Kolkata. The Financial Intelligence Unit has red-flagged this company’s financial transactions, she said.
“Is it true that this company has relations with companies that are owned by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra?” she said. “Congress leaders have taken to the streets to pressurise an investigating agency openly because their corruption has been exposed,” she said. She added that nobody is above the law, “not even Rahul Gandhi”.
She referred to the ED’s case and said a company called Associated Journals Limited (AJL) was founded in 1930 to publish a newspaper with 5,000 freedom fighters as shareholders. “…But now it is under the Gandhi family’s control.”
She alleged the company’s ownership was transferred and instead of publishing newspapers it become a real estate business instead. Irani added the company incurred debts of ₹90 crore in 2008 and decided to enter the property business. She said the Congress gave ₹90 crore as a loan to AJL which was waived off. Irani rejected Congress’s allegation of a witch-hunt. “If you have nothing to hide, what is the problem.”
