New Delhi, April 22 BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj's gesture while attending the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on 'One Nation One Election' at the Parliament Annexe building, created a stir on Tuesday as she walked to the meeting, with a tote bag emblazoned with 'National Herald Ki Loot' tagline.
The eye-catching message served as a bold political statement, reigniting the BJP's sharp attack on Congress over the long-standing National Herald case.
The slogan on the bag drew significant attention in political circles and was seen as a direct jibe at the Congress, with whom the BJP has been locked in a legal and political battle over allegations of financial irregularities linked to the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.
Swaraj didn't hold back as she accused the Congress party of serious misconduct and misuse of media-related institutions in the matter.
"This is the first time that a scam has been done with the fourth pillar of democracy -- the media. How unfortunate that the public property worth Rs 2000 crore has been usurped by the Congress party and its top leadership for a pittance -- only Rs 50 lakh," she said, underlining what she termed a "grave betrayal of public trust."
She went on to allege that the Congress leadership had misappropriated property belonging to the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the original publisher of the National Herald, by converting public trusts into personal assets.
"The Young India Limited company is 76 per cent owned by the Gandhi family. This means that it again reflects the old thinking of Congress that, under the guise of service, by misusing power, they usurp public property as their personal property," she said.
Her remarks came against the backdrop of recent developments in the National Herald case, where the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet against senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
The chargesheet, submitted before Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court, accuses them and others of laundering Rs 988 crore under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
"The ED has filed four charge sheets. The top leadership of Congress and the party is accountable. They will have to answer not only the god-like voters of this country but also the court on April 25," Swaraj said.
The National Herald, a newspaper established by Jawaharlal Nehru and other prominent leaders in 1938, was originally aimed at representing the liberal voice within the Indian National Congress.
Published by AJL, the National Herald was a critical tool for Congress during the freedom struggle and post-independence years. Alongside the English publication, AJL also published newspapers in Hindi and Urdu.
However, the paper ceased operations in 2008 due to mounting debts exceeding Rs 90 crore.
The controversy over its assets came into focus in 2012 when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint in a trial court, alleging that Congress leaders had engaged in cheating and breach of trust in the process of acquiring AJL.
According to Swamy, the firm Young Indian Ltd -- in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are majority stakeholders -- acquired control over the newspaper's vast assets through a "malicious" takeover aimed at benefiting the party leadership personally.
The renewed spotlight on the National Herald case, coinciding with the high-profile JPC meeting, has once again brought the financial dealings of India's oldest political party under scrutiny, further intensifying the political showdown in the national capital.
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