ED carrying on vendetta against Congress: Chidambaram on National Herald case

Senior Congress Leader P. Chidambaram accuses Enforcement Directorate of political vendetta against Congress leaders in National Herald case.

Senior Congress Leader P. Chidambaram on Monday (April 21, 2025) said that the Enforcement Directorate is carrying on a vendetta against the leaders of the principal Opposition party, the Congress, at the behest of its political masters by naming former Congress chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in its chargesheet in the National Herald case.

Addressing a press conference at the Delhi Congress headquarters, Mr. Chidambaram said “There is no transaction of money. Without money, there are no ‘proceeds of crime’. Without ‘proceeds of crime’, there is no money laundering. Without money laundering, the ED has no jurisdiction.” He added that the assault on the integrity and reputation of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi is a blatant abuse of power and that the entire Congress party will resist, fight back and defeat this political assault on its leaders. “Truth will prevail. Justice will prevail. We will prevail,” Mr. Chidambaram said.

The ED on April 9 filed a chargesheet naming Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others before a special court in Delhi in the National Herald case, accusing them of laundering ₹988 crore. The Congress has planned a series of press conferences across the country between April 21 and 24 to “expose the BJP’s lies” in the National Herald case and counter the “politically motivated” charges.

Putting out the facts of the case, the senior Congress leader said that National Herald is owned by Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), a company registered in 1937-38. Over time, he said, AJL incurred huge losses and, between 2002 and 2011, the Congress party stepped in and advanced money in small tranches, by cheques, amounting to ₹90 crore to pay the outstanding liabilities, including wages and salaries. On legal advice, he said, it was decided to restructure the company and, in 2010, a new company, Young Indian , was formed as a not-for-profit company and had four shareholders, all senior office bearers of the Congress party.

Mr. Chidambaram said that YI took over the ₹90 crore loan advanced by the Congress party to AJL after paying a consideration of ₹50 lakh. YI became the lender to AJL. Since the loan was irrecoverable from AJL, it was decided by the two companies that the loan will be converted into Equity and, accordingly, equity shares were issued by AJL to YI. “YI is a not-for-profit company. Even if it made profits, under Section 25 (now Section 8) it cannot give or distribute salaries or dividends to its shareholders. Since incorporation, not a single rupee has been paid by Young Indian to its directors or shareholders,” Mr. Chidambaram said.