National Herald case: BJP asks Gandhis to cooperate with IT probe

New Delhi: The BJP on Friday welcomed the Delhi High Court's refusal to stay income tax proceedings against a company involving Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and said the case had serious ethical and moral dimensions.

It would be in the Gandhis' interest if they cooperated with income tax authorities' in the probe, senior BJP leader and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

The company, Young Indian Pvt Ltd, had approached the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to stay the IT proceedings and quashing of re-assessment notices issued against it with regard to the National Herald misappropriation of assets case.

Referring to the allegations against the Gandhis, Prasad said National Herald, a Congress-run newspaper, had become a sort of "family concern", something which had never happened during Jawaharlal Nehru's time.

"Their (Gandhis) lawyer says they will move the Supreme Court. They can do as they wish but they must remember that this involves a serious ethical and moral issue. There is an important question of propriety. Democracy runs on public morality," he said at a press conference.

The BJP leader also took a swipe at opposition parties' efforts to unite and accused them of brushing corruption issues involving key leaders, including RJD chief Lalu Prasad, under the carpet. They had learnt no lessons from their electoral defeats.

People have faith in the Narendra Modi government because they believe it is running honestly and with probity, he said.

According to IT records, 83.3 per cent of Young Indian was held by Sonia and Rahul, 15.5 per cent by Congress leader Motilal Vora and the remaining 1.2 per cent by Oscar Fernandes.