Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], April 16: Union Minister and BJP leader Ashwini Vaishnaw strongly criticized the Congress party for staging nationwide protests against the central government and investigative agencies, following the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other party leaders in the National Herald money laundering case.
Addressing media on Wednesday, Vaishnaw accused the Congress of indulging in “low-level politics” and avoiding accountability in what he described as a clear case of corruption.
“In the National Herald matter, they are doing politics of a very low level. This is not a political issue; it is a corruption case. Congress should own it,” he told.
Earlier in the day, the Congress held massive demonstrations across several cities, decrying what it claims is political vendetta and misuse of investigative bodies by the central government. Protesters clashed with police in some areas, and several Congress leaders were detained near the party’s headquarters in New Delhi after attempting to breach security barriers.
Joining the criticism, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya echoed similar sentiments. “The Congress is acting like a slave of the Gandhi family. The Constitution is the same for all 140 crore Indians. This scam dates back to their own regime—the agencies must be allowed to function freely,” Maurya told ANI.
On Tuesday, the ED officially filed a prosecution complaint—equivalent to a chargesheet—naming Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and others, including multiple firms, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The matter is scheduled for cognizance arguments at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on April 25.
The prosecution complaint has been filed under Sections 44 and 45 of the PMLA for alleged offences defined under Section 3 (money laundering), read with Section 70, and punishable under Section 4.