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Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheeshan has alleged that the BJP-led Central government has been defaming and tarnishing the image of Congress leaders through various fake cases.
V D Satheeshan told reporters here, "They have been continuing this for a long time. First, Rahul Gandhi was questioned for 5 days and now Sonia Gandhi is again being questioned by the ED. It is the agenda of RSS and Sangh Pariwar to eradicate Congress from India. They're trying to tarnish the image of the leaders, including the Congress President." He further added, "These are fake cases and ED can investigate cases that attract the provisions of the money laundering act. There is no money laundering in this case." Satheeshan also pointed out that the company floated by Section 25, is a company from which Directors and shareholders cannot take the profit. "Associated Journals Limited (AJL) itself is holding the assets of the company. We changed the equity shares to AJL. That is the case." He also alleged that the ruling LDF Government in the state is going in the same path as the central Government. "They're appeasing the corporates and making all right extreme policies. Here in Kerala, we are the Left," Earlier today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with several party leaders were detained by Delhi Police at Vijay Chowk during MPs' march to Rashtrapati Bhavan to protest against the questioning of the party's interim president Sonia Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the National Herald case. "All (Congress) MPs came here. They talked about inflation and unemployment. They (Police) are not allowing us to sit here. Discussions are not allowed inside (the Parliament) and here they are arresting us," said Rahul Gandhi before being detained. The ED had on June 1 summoned Sonia Gandhi to appear before its investigators on June 8 in the case for the first time in connection with a money laundering case involving the National Herald. Last month the ED questioned Rahul Gandhi on several occasions in the case. The case to investigate alleged financial irregularities under the PMLA was registered about nine months ago after a trial court took cognizance of an Income Tax Department probe carried out on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP in 2013. The petitioner had approached the court alleging that the assets of AJL, which published the National Herald newspaper, were fraudulently acquired and transferred to Young Indian Pvt Limited (YIL), in which Sonia Gandhi and her son owned 38 per cent shares each. Calling it a case of political vendetta, senior Supreme Court advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi had said, "This is truly a very weird case- an alleged money laundering case on which summons are issued with no money involved." The federal agency's move followed the questioning of senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Treasurer Pawan Bansal in April this year in New Delhi in connection with its money laundering probe into the National Herald case. The ED is currently investigating the shareholding pattern and financial transactions as well as the role of party functionaries in the functioning of AJL and YIL. (ANI)
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