Shimla, Apr 16 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday said the National Herald is “our paper and we will keep giving advertisements in plenty”.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed the chargesheet against former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and others before a special court in Delhi in the National Herald case, accusing them of laundering Rs 988 crore. The prosecution complaint was filed on April 9 under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Sukhu was replying to the claims of BJP Himachal Pradesh president Rajiv Bindal that huge amounts of advertisements have been released to the National Herald by the Congress government in the state.

In the wake of protests by the Congress against the ED filing chargesheet against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, the BJP raised the issue of advertisements being released to the National Herald by the Congress government in the state.

Referring to a question asked by Janak Raj (BJP) during the recently concluded Budget Session of Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha regarding the advertisements released to newspapers, weeklies, news channels and portals, state BJP president Dr Rajiv Bindal alleged that huge amounts of advertisements have been released to the National Herald.

Asked about the claims of the state BJP chief, the chief minister said, “National Herald is our paper and we will keep giving advertisements to it in plenty.” The Congress on Wednesday held protests outside ED offices across the country over the agency’s chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and alleged that the action against its leaders showed panic and moral bankruptcy of the “despotic” government which wanted to divert attention from public issues and economic crisis.

The BJP stepped up its attack on the Congress, saying the opposition party has the right to protest but no one has the “licence to loot”, and asserted that probe agencies will be unfazed by the Congress’ “threats”. PTI BPL KSS KSS