New Delhi, Apr 19 (PTI) The Congress on Saturday denounced the Enforcement Directorate’s chargesheet against its leaders in the National Heald case as a “lie-sheet” and asserted that it is not a legal but a political battle which it will fight in the coming days, as the party’s top leaders discussed the issue and evolved its strategy.

The opposition party also expressed confidence that it would win the battle against the central government on the Waqf (Amendment) Act and alleged that the BJP was deliberately targeting the Supreme Court “which was only telling the ruling party not to frame laws that went against the basic structure of the Constitution”.

Congress general secretaries and in-charges in various states met here to chalk out strategy in the wake of the Enforcement Directorate naming former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in its chargesheet in the National Herald case of alleged money laundering.

Asserting that no crime has been committed by the Congress leadership in the case, the party said it would hold press conferences across the country from April 21 to 24 to counter the “misinformation” being spread by the BJP.

“No matter whose name they put (in the chargesheet), we are not going to be afraid,” Congress chief Mallkarjun Kharge said at the meeting, with the party insisting that political vendetta was behind the ED action.

Slamming the Centre, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed that people holding constitutional positions, ministers and BJP MPs were speaking against the Supreme Court in their bid to weaken the institution.

“They (BJP) are busy weakening the Supreme Court… Those holding Constitutional posts, ministers and even BJP MPs are all speaking against the Supreme Court, which is only saying that while making laws, don’t go against the basic structure of the Constitution,” the Congress leader said at a press briefing after the meeting.

This is being done as the Supreme Court has spoken about electoral bonds and the Waqf law while the Election Commission issue is pending before it, Ramesh said.

The Congress also announced its plan to hold ‘Samvidhan Bachao rallies’ at the state level from April 25 to 30 and then at the district level from May 3 to 10 and finally launching a door-to-door campaign to take the party’s message to every household in the country from May 20 to 30.

Acting on the decision to empower District Congress Committees (DCC) taken at the recent AICC session at Ahmedabad, the party said its district unit chiefs would be appointed by May 31 in Gujarat and the model will be replicated in all other states.

It has also been decided to have a Political Affairs Committee (PAC)in every district, the party said..

The Congress intends to decentralise, giving more powers to DCCs to have a say in the selection of candidates at local bodies to Parliament level and in fund-raising.

Ramesh alleged that the ED action is only aimed at diverting attention from real economic, social and political issues. He claimed that the ED is being misused against all opposition political leadership, especially of the Congress.

“No law has been violated and all this is being done to divert attention from the real issues,” he asserted.

“We don’t have the chargesheet. We are being accused without a chargesheet. This is not a chargesheet. It is a lie-sheet,” Ramesh said.

“The entire truth will come out one day and all will know that this is a political conspiracy hatched by two people with a criminal mindset,” he alleged.

Ramesh said the properties of the National Herald continue to be held by Associated Journals. “If there is any crime it is by the prime minister and the home minister. They are the two people who have done all this,” he alleged.

On the party’s future course of action, Ramesh said, “Let the chargesheet come. This is not a legal battle. This is a political battle. This is a battle between ‘satya’ and ‘asatya’. This is a battle between truth and untruth.

“This is a political battle because the BJP wants to divert from the issues of price rise and economy.” During his speech, Kharge said Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were named in the ED chargesheet and National Herald properties in Delhi, Lucknow and Mumbai were attached with a “spirit of vendetta”.

“You must have noticed how, as part of a big conspiracy, the names of CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi were put in the chargesheet in the National Herald case. But no matter whose name they put, we are not going to be afraid,” Kharge said.

“The BJP leaders are misleading the people by lying. We have to tell the truth to the public,” Kharge said.

The ED has filed a chargesheet naming Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others before a special court here in the National Herald case, accusing them of laundering Rs 988 crore.

It is alleged that a “criminal conspiracy” was carried out by the Congress leaders to “usurp” properties worth Rs 2,000 crore of its public company Associated Journals Limited by transferring 99 per cent shares to a company named Young Indian for just Rs 50 lakh, where Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are the majority shareholders.

The Congress chief also said that it cannot be a mere coincidence that the ED action came immediately after the AICC session in Ahmedabad.

“Our accounts were closed before the (2024) Lok Sabha elections, yet the people doubled our numbers in the Lower House. Our fight did not weaken,” he said.

Kharge also said the Supreme Court has given importance to the points raised by the Congress and the other opposition parties on the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

“The issue of ‘Waqf by user’ has been deliberately brought up by the government to put Waqf properties into dispute,” he alleged.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing this case, and “we are confident that we will win this battle too”, Kharge said, noting that the Congress “brought together” the entire opposition against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.

The government and the BJP leaders left no stone unturned to spread rumours and confuse people on the Waqf issue, he claimed.

“We have to go among the people and make them aware of our side and expose the conspiracy of the BJP,” he said. PTI SKC RT RT