Guwahati: The Congress on Wednesday escalated its attack on the BJP-led Centre, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah after a Delhi court declined to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering complaint in the National Herald case.
Addressing a press conference, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the court’s order amounted to a strong rebuke of what he described as politically driven harassment of the party’s top leadership. He asserted that the judgment exposed the misuse of central agencies and demanded that both Modi and Shah step down for allowing such actions.
Flanked by senior leaders K.C. Venugopal, Abhishek Singhvi, Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, Kharge said the Congress would intensify its political battle against what it termed “vendetta politics”. He warned that party workers across the country were angry and prepared to mobilise against the alleged abuse of investigative agencies. The Congress, he added, would continue its fight both inside and outside Parliament.
The sharp reaction followed a Delhi court order on Tuesday that brought relief to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and five others. Special Judge Vishal Gogne ruled that the ED could not proceed with its prosecution complaint under money laundering laws because the investigation originated from a private complaint, not from a registered FIR involving a scheduled offence. On that legal ground alone, the court refused to take cognisance of the case, without entering into the merits of the allegations.
Venugopal said the verdict laid bare the Centre’s “politics of revenge” and reaffirmed that the Congress had been resisting the case through protests, marches, and parliamentary action whenever its leaders were summoned. Singhvi described the ruling as an instance where “law prevailed over noise”, calling the case a prolonged exercise in political intimidation.
The ED, meanwhile, indicated that it may challenge the order after consulting senior law officers, including the Solicitor General. The agency has accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, the late Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, along with Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and Young Indian, of conspiracy and money laundering linked to the alleged takeover of assets of Associated Journals Limited, publisher of the National Herald, valued at around Rs 2,000 crore.
Reacting soon after the ruling, the Congress reiterated that the judgment confirmed its long-standing claim that the proceedings were illegal and mala fide, and said the decision vindicated its leadership in the politically charged case.