ED, CBI, IT are BJP’s toolkit: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader over action on Herald case

New Delhi [India], November 22 (ANI): A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached properties worth Rs 751 crore in the National Herald case, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that the raids were no surprise since the three central investigating agencies were under the Bharatiya Janata Party’s toolkit.

“I am not surprised. There are three agencies in the BJP’s toolkit: ED, CBI, and IT. Whoever joins the BJP gets a clean chit. The BJP knows they are losing the five states where elections have been or will be held. They are going to lose in 2024. That’s why they are using them,” Chaturvedi said.

Earlier today, Congress leader Nana Patole said party heavyweights Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have no stake in the seized properties and they were acquired with monetary contributions from the cadre.

Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, the senior Congress leader and the party’s Maharashtra chief said, “The properties seized in the National Herald case were acquired through monetary donations from Congress workers across the country. The Gandhi family has no stake in the properties attached to the ED. It has already been proved that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are not involved in the matter.”

“However, the top BJP leaders in Delhi are trying to create the perception that the properties belong to the Gandhi family. However, nothing is going to come from this deliberate ploy to drag our top leaders into this matter. The BJP knows they are losing the five states where elections have been or will be held,” he added.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) issued an order to provisionally attach properties worth Rs. 751.9 crore in a money-laundering case investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 against Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and Young Indian (YI), a release said.

Investigation revealed that Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL) is in possession of proceeds of crime in the form of immovable properties spread across many cities of India, such as Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow, to the tune of Rs 661.69 Crore and Young Indian (YI) is in possession of proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 90.21 crore in the form of investment in equity shares of AJL.

ED initiated a money-laundering investigation on the basis of a process issued by the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate of Delhi after taking cognizance of a private complaint via an order dated June 26, 2014.

ED investigation revealed that after purchasing the loan of Rs 90.21 crore from AICC, Young India demanded either repayment of the loan or allotment of equity shares of AJL to it. AJL held an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) and passed a resolution to increase share capital and issue fresh shares worth Rs 90.21 crore to YI.

“With this fresh allotment of shares, the shareholding of more than 1000 shareholders was reduced to a mere 1 per cent and AJL became a subsidiary company of YI, which also took control over the properties of AJL,” the release added.