Mallikarjun Kharge hits out at PM Modi over ED's action against National Herald, says Congress will not be scared

Mallikarjun Kharge. File Pic

AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Enforcement Directorate attaching assets of the party-promoted National Herald newspaper and said they will not be scared of the BJP and that the Congress will fight it out, reported news agency PTI.

Mallikarjun Kharge, who addressed an election rally at Alampur in poll-bound Telangana, attacked PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the ED's action, saying that they thought of closing down a newspaper that was started by the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, reported PTI.

"I feel sad today. My party's paper, which was started by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, National Herald...our three papers, Modi yesterday seized the property of the Congress. That property was not of any individual. Pandit Nehru brought out that paper for the freedom struggle and to create awareness among the people. It became the voice of freedom fighters," he said, reported PTI.

"Modi and Shah thought of closing such a newspaper which was the voice of the people. Their thinking was that if Nehru ji's paper National Herald is closed, then the people in Telangana will fear and vote for the BJP and KCR," he said, reported PTI.

If they think that the Congress will be scared due to the attachment, it is wrong and the Congress will never be scared and it will fight "till the end", he said, reported PTI.

The Congress was not afraid of the British and got independence for the country and will it be scared of the BJP, Kharge said, reported PTI.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Tuesday that it has attached immovable assets and equity shares worth about Rs 752 crore as part of its ongoing money laundering investigation against the National Herald newspaper and companies linked to it, reported PTI.

Earlier today, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday slammed the Enforcement Directorate for attaching assets of the Congress-promoted National Herald newspaper and described it as a "new low in politics".

Kapil Sibal, a former Congress leader, also alleged that the probe agency has been acting at the behest of the "powers that be".

In a post on X, Sibal said, "Young Indian(YI), Associated Journals Ltd(AJL), ED attaches 752cr worth properties of AJL. Allege: YI shareholders owners of AJL's assets Cheating and Breach of trust. Law: Shareholders are never owners of company's assets. YI a not for profit company. A new low in politics."

(With inputs from PTI)