'No one is Queen Victoria or Prince': BJP hits back at Congress amid Rahul Gandhi's ED probe

The BJP's remarks came amid former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi appearing before the ED for the fourth day of questioning in the National Herald money laundering case.

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New Delhi: Amid Congress holding a 'Satyagraha' to protest its leader Rahul Gandhi's ED questioning in the National Herald case, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday (June 20) hit out at the grand old party and said that "no one in this country is Queen Victoria or Prince that they won't be probed". Launching a scathing attack at former Congresss chief, BJP's National Spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the public knows about the involvement of Rahul Gandhi in "misusing country's money" through the National Herald scam. 

"Rahul Gandhi should know that ED is Enforcement Directorate, not 'Entitlement Demand'," Patra was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

"No one is Queen Victoria or Prince in this country that they won't be probed, law is equal for all. Everyone is probed for corruption... The public knows about the involvement of a family and Rahul Gandhi's role in misusing the country's money through the National Herald scam," the BJP leader said.

No one is Queen Victoria or Prince in this country that they won't be probed, law is equal for all. Everyone is probed for corruption...Public knows about the involvement of a family & Rahul Gandhi's role in misusing country's money through National Herald scam:BJP's Sambit Patra pic.twitter.com/JRDpSVYm5X — ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2022

The remarks came amid Rahul Gandhi appearing before the ED for the fourth day of questioning in the National Herald money laundering case.

The Congress MP from Wayanad has so far spent a total of about 30 hours at the ED office over three days last week, where he was questioned over multiple sessions and his statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The fourth day of questioning was deferred from June 17 to this day after Gandhi requested the agency for postponing the session as he wanted to be with his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in hospital, where she is admitted for post-Covid issues.

The probe pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper. The ED is said to be asking Rahul Gandhi about the incorporation of the Young Indian Private Limited, operations of the National Herald, the loan given by the party to the newspaper's publisher Associated Journals Limited (AJL), and the transfer of funds within the news media establishment.

Sonia Gandhi has also been summoned by the agency for questioning in the case on June 23.

Congress has accused the Centre of targeting opposition leaders by misusing investigative agencies and has termed the entire action a political vendetta. 

Congress leaders to meet President over Rahul Gandhi's ED summons, Agneepath scheme

A delegation of Congress leaders will also meet President Ram Nath Kovind today and submit a memorandum on the issue of entry of Delhi Police into their party headquarters and the alleged misbehaviour with party MPs during their protests against Rahul Gandhi's ED summons.

Top Congress leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Salman Khurshid, K Suresh, V Narayanasamy, KC Venugopal and others are also present at Congress' Satyagraha at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The party is also staging protests against the newly-launched Agnipath recruitment scheme.

देश का झंडा तिरंगा।
नहीं चलेगा दो रंगा।।

देश के तिरंगे की रक्षा के लिए, देश के संविधान की रक्षा के लिए कांग्रेस कार्यकर्ता तैयार हैं। pic.twitter.com/9KlZCEMpmj — Congress (@INCIndia) June 20, 2022

"We will sit on Satyagraha at Jantar Mantar today, and in the evening at 5 pm, we will meet the President and demand that the Agnipath scheme be withdrawn," Congress leader Ajay Maken told reporters on Monday. 

He said the scheme needs to be discussed with the youth first before implementation. 

"The scheme should first be discussed with youth and in Parliament, but before that, it should be withdrawn," he added.

The Union Cabinet on June 14 approved the Agnipath recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the three services of the Armed Forces and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers.

After the policy, which allows Indian youths to serve in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces for a period of four years, was announced on June 14, protests erupted in various states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand and Assam.