New Delhi: The Congress party workers were in celebratory mood as the party president, Sonia Gandhi, and her son, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, and other top leaders appeared in court on Saturday in the National Herald case.
The duo was granted unconditional bail on a personal bond of Rs50,000 (Dh2,769) each after a five-minute hearing, Congress party leaders took the opportunity to attack the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Narendra Modi-led government alleging “political vendetta” and called the complainant, Subramanian Swamy, Modi’s “mask”.
“I appeared before the court like any law-abiding citizen. The truth will come out. The current government is targeting its opponents and we will continue to fight,” Sonia Gandhi told hundreds of reporters who had gathered outside the court.
“Modi-ji makes false allegations and he thinks the opposition will bend. I will not bend, Congress won’t bend. We will keep fighting for the poor and as an Opposition party, not move back an inch,” Rahul Gandhi added.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh who also went to court in a show of solidarity with the Gandhis, said the party “will give a determined fight because we stand for certain ideals”.
Swamy however rejected allegations that he had filed the case against the Gandhis in connivance with Modi. “I have never spoken to Modi on this matter,” he told Gulf News.
“This is an open and shut case. I will win this case in 2016. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and others will be sent to prison,” Swamy added.
In 2012, Swamy had filed the case accusing Congress party leaders — including Sonia, Rahul, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda — of cheating and misappropriation of funds in acquiring the ownership of now-defunct daily, National Herald.
The newspaper, founded by India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was closely associated with India’s freedom struggle and the Indian National Congress until 2008. On April 1, 2008, the paper’s editorial announced that it was temporarily suspending operations. In 2009, Sonia Gandhi ordered the closure of the defunct paper.
On June 26 last year, a trial court issued summons to the Congress leaders on Swamy’s complaint about “cheating” in the acquisition by Young India Limited, a firm in which Sonia and Rahul each own a 38 per cent stake.
The two leaders then approached the Delhi high court seeking a stay. On Monday this week, the high court refused to stay the summons, and asked all of the accused to appear for a hearing on Saturday.
Congress party leaders believe that this could be the turning point in the political fortunes for India’s oldest political party that has received a humiliating defeat in the general elections of 2014. “Whenever there is political vendetta against the Gandhi’s, the people of the country has revolted and the party comes back to power. The same was witnessed when Indira Gandhi was taken to court. History will repeat itself,” said party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.
The BJP though denied of having any links with the ongoing court battle and said that the Congress party was “celebrating corruption”.
“It is unfortunate that the country’s principal opposition party is celebrating corruption and hoping to turn political fortunes through the same,” said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.
