New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) The Delhi BJP on Wednesday slammed the Congress, saying its protest over the Enforcement Directorate (ED) chargesheet against its leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case was like a “thief crying foul”.

Earlier in the day, the Congress held a protest outside the party headquarters on Akbar Road against the BJP-led central government over the ED chargesheet against its former president Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in connection with the National Herald case.

Talking to reporters, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the chargesheet in the National Herald case was not an act of “political vendetta” but an outcome of a petition filed during the Congress’ own tenure.

The Congress-led UPA government was in power at the Centre from 2004 to 2014.

“The National Herald case involves not just corruption but also a serious breach of trust and the Congress’ protest over it is akin to ‘the thief crying foul’,” Sachdeva said in a statement.

Instead of fighting the legal battle, the Congress leaders are trying to politicise the case, he said.

“This is not an act of vendetta. If the case were weak, false or politically motivated, the Gandhi family, which was in power from 2012 (when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint before a trial court in Delhi) to mid-2014, would have had it quashed during their tenure,” he asserted.

The legal trouble Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are facing is a consequence of their own “greed” and not due to the pressure from the BJP government. It is the result of a 13-year-long legal investigation, he said.

“It is unfortunate that the Congress’ first family is now pushing the party workers forward to give a political twist to their corruption case. In reality, the properties of National Herald were created using funds contributed by thousands of Congress workers and these properties were looted by the Gandhi family by converting them into a private company,” Sachdeva charged.

The ED chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and others before a special court here in the National Herald case accuses them of laundering Rs 988 crore.

The prosecution complaint filed on April 9 under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) named Sonia Gandhi as accused no 1 and her son Rahul Gandhi as accused no 2. PTI VIT KSS KSS