Jaipur, Apr 16 (PTI) Reacting to Congress’ nationwide protests over the National Herald case, Rajasthan BJP president Madan Rathore on Wednesday said that the grand old party has the right to protest but has no right to “loot land and public funds.”  Rathore alleged that the case represents a major corporate conspiracy by the Gandhi family.

Congress on Wednesday held a nationwide protest after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and others before a special court in the National Herald case, accusing them of allegedly laundering Rs 988 crore.

The state BJP chief said that when the National Herald was started in 1937, it had 5,000 shareholders.

“It was never a family estate — it belonged to the freedom fighters of India,” he said.

  Rathore claimed that even during the company’s formation, Sardar Patel questioned the way funds were being collected.

“Former Uttar Pradesh CM Chandra Bhanu Gupta also raised funds for it, but over time, the property of freedom fighters was turned into a private asset of one political family,” Rathore alleged.

“This is the Gandhi family’s so-called model of development. The land and assets were allotted to National Herald by the government, and misusing them is nothing short of open corruption,” he said. PTI SDA AMJ AMJ AMJ