Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar, on his arrival in Bengaluru after being quizzed by the ED in the National Herald case, questioned the urgency of the ED summons at a junction when the Bharat Jodo Yatra is underway in Karnataka.
Speaking to the media on Friday, he alleged that the central agency was being misused by the BJP-led Centre. He said, "ED asked for information about the money given to Young Indian organization. We have said that we have given money to the organizations that our leaders have done during the time of Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhi. ED questioned us asking Why did we give money? They questioned us about our source of income."
The Congress leader added, "Politics should be done in the field and not in the office of an investigative agency. Rahul Gandhi is undertaking the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka. Although I am the state president of the party, I was not able to participate in the yatra today. What was the need to question me today? I had sought time from the ED that I will appear any day after October 23rd but I was asked to attend the questioning today."
Shivakumar and his brother DK Suresh were grilled about the financial transactions with respect to donations made to Young Indian Pvt Limited.
National Herald Case
The probe relates to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper.
The move to question the Gandhis was initiated after the ED late last year lodged a fresh case under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), following a trial court here taking cognisance of an income-tax department probe against Young Indian on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2013.
Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and majority shareholders of Young Indian. Like her son, the Congress president too has 38 per cent shareholding in the company.
Swamy had accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds, with Young Indian paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associated Journals Limited (AJL) owed to the Congress.
