Ahmedabad, Apr 21 (PTI) The timing of Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s chargesheet in the National Herald case shows the impact of a key resolution adopted at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session held recently in Ahmedabad, a party spokesperson said on Monday.

Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, AICC spokesperson Vijay Inder Singla hit out at the ED, terming the central agency as the “Election Department” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The ruling party is using the National Herald case to tarnish the image of top Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, the former Lok Sabha MP from Punjab alleged.

The central financial crimes agency recently filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia, Rahul Gandhi and others in connection with its money laundering probe in the National Herald case.

Singla said the chargesheet was timed to coincide with the AICC session and filed just a day after the session concluded in Ahmedabad on April 9.

“The ED filed the chargesheet on the last day of a year within which it was required to file it as per the law. It was filed on April 10, 2025, and our AICC session concluded on April 9. It is clearly the impact of a resolution adopted at the AICC session by the Congress high command wherein issues of the public were raised in an effective manner,” he noted.

The ruling BJP is using a case, which was shelved by the ED in 2015 and rejected by the EC in 2012, just to distract people from issues affecting them such as inflation and unemployment, Singla contended.

“The Election Commission had rejected (BJP member) Subramanian Swamy’s complaint in 2012 (related to National Herald), and then in 2015, the ED closed the case. The BJP again went to the ED and got the shut case opened. The ED could not file the chargesheet for one whole year,” the AICC’s joint treasurer and spokesperson said.

The BJP has been “exposed” by the Congress as the saffron party went back on promises it made to people after forming governments at the Centre and in states, Singla claimed.

The former Punjab minister pointed out that the National Herald newspaper was launched by the Congress when the country was fighting against the British rule.

The newspaper was meant to amplify the voice against the British rule, the Congress leader noted.

“All newspapers receive support from the government. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh governments (of BJP) are giving advertisements in newspapers in Kerala (ruled by CPM-led front). Don’t newspapers like Organiser, Panchjanya and Tarun Bharat get advertisements from the government? Every newspaper needs government support,” he argued.

Singla said some persons have claimed that Young Indian is a Rs 5,000-crore company when even the Income Tax department has estimated it to be a Rs 413-crore firm.

Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper, was acquired by another company Young Indian.

A “criminal conspiracy” was carried out by Congress leaders to “usurp” properties worth Rs 2,000 crore of its public company AJL by transferring 99 per cent shares for just Rs 50 lakh to their private company Young Indian, where party MPs Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are the majority shareholders, the ED is learnt to have said in its chargesheet. PTI KA PD RSY