Following the Delhi High Court order in the National Herald case, the BJP on Saturday launched a direct attack on the Gandhi family saying the matter is a case of “massive irregularity and scam to appropriate public premises” by them and dared Congress president Rahul to provide answer as how Rs 5000 crore property was allegedly usurped by them for a paltry Rs 50 lakh.
Addressing a Press conference here Law Minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad sought to ask Rahul to respond to the court verdict “exposing their corruption” rather than asking too many questions on the Rafale fighter jet deal.
The Delhi High Court dismissed plea of Associated Journals Ltd, publisher of National Herald, which has challenged Centre’s order ending its 56-year-old lease asking it to vacate the premises at ITO, New Delhi. The Centre had issued a notice to AJL on the grounds that “no Press has been functioning in the said premise for the last 10 years”. It also alleged “misuse” of the premises; and transfer of shares of AJL to ‘Young India’ without permission of the lessor which is in ‘violation of a clause in a lease deed’.
Charging the family of Sonia and Rahul with evolving a new business model where Young India with control of Rahul, Sonia and Motilal Vora acquires massive Rs 5,000 crore property by paying off only Rs 50 lakh, Prasad said a similar model was also perfected by Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress president .
To buttress his point the Union Minister quoted the Delhi High Court judgment. “The court is conscious of the fact that Young India company is a charitable company but the modus operandi to acquire 99 per cent of the AJL shares speaks volume. The manner in which it has been done is also questionable.”
He said the massive irregularity and scam to appropriate public premises by the family of Sonia and Rahul has also been found to be questionable by the court, he said.
Pointing to what he described as double-faced stand of the Congress , the BJP leader said when it comes to saving income tax the party claims that publication of Herald is stopped from 2008 but in the face of eviction from the Herald house it says it is publishing weekly paper from 2017.
Prasad said Herald property in Delhi worth Rs 5,000 crore by a conservative estimate is but one of the many premises run in the name of the same publication across the country.
Prasad pointed out that a criminal case has also been filed in the matter and Rahul and Sonia were given bail in the case.
The Modi Government would not allow loot of public money, as was sought to be done in this case, Prasad alleged.