Assam BJP chief slams Congress: 'Defending looters Sonia-Rahul is laughable'

President of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Assam Pradesh and Member of Parliament, Dilip Saikia, launched a scathing attack on the Congress party for staging nationwide protests against the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) chargesheet filed in the National Herald case involving senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

In a press statement issued today, Saikia described the Congress's protest as “highly laughable” and “an act of shielding national looters.” He accused the Gandhi family of misusing the Congress party to capture assets that were never personally theirs, calling the entire episode a gross betrayal of public trust.

“The National Herald case is moving as per the legal process. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, though not imprisoned, are still under serious legal scrutiny. Their party’s protest is not just condemnable but is also against the spirit of a just and stable society,” Saikia stated.

He added that for over four years, the Gandhi duo has failed to give convincing answers to the investigating agencies. While he acknowledged that protest is a democratic right, Saikia emphasised that “no one has the right to loot the nation’s capital or property.”

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Delving into the case's background, Saikia explained that the National Herald newspaper, launched in 1937 with 5,000 shareholders, was never the personal asset of the Nehru-Gandhi family. After the publication was shut down in 2008, the Congress party sanctioned a Rs 90 crore loan to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which was later allegedly acquired by Young Indian—a company where Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each owned 38% of shares.

“This company, Young Indian, eventually took over all AJL properties—including prime land in Delhi’s Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and valuable assets in Mumbai, Lucknow, Bhopal, and Patna—without any transparent commercial transaction,” said Saikia.

He also countered the Congress claim that Young Indian is a non-profit entity created for charitable purposes, stating, “Till date, it has not carried out any visible charity. This raises serious concerns about its real intentions.”

Saikia further pointed out that the complaint leading to the investigation was filed when Congress was in power in 2013. “It is ironic that the Congress, which once controlled the ED, is now crying foul when the same agency acts under judicial directives.”

“Congress is trying to stall justice and browbeat the ED by taking to the streets. But the people of India have awakened. They will not tolerate the Gandhis being projected as victims while they stand accused of looting the nation,” Saikia asserted.

Concluding his statement, Saikia said, “The Congress party’s attempt to shield Sonia and Rahul Gandhi from legal accountability is nothing short of a farce. Their protest is a joke, and the people of India are watching.”