Modi government, BJP maintain National Herald case based on a private complaint, but target Congress

New Delhi: Even as the alleged National Herald corruption case involving Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi is being fought in the court, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has maintained that action has been taken on a private complaint. The complainant in the case is BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

The Narendra Modi government has iterated that it has not and cannot influence a matter before the court of law. The BJP has also asked Congress several times if the case has had any bearing on the stalled legislative business in Parliament's Winter Session.

BJP's future strategy on the issue would very much depend on the how things unravel in the Delhi court when Sonia and Rahul present themselves.

The proceedings in court on Saturday may indirectly help BJP shift the spotlight from the ongoing ugly spat with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raid at the office of Rajinder Kumar, the principal secretary of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Swamy had filed a complaint before a Delhi court in 2012, alleging that Congress leaders were involved in cheating and breach of trust in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YIL), as assets worth crores of rupees had been transferred to YIL.

Swamy has alleged that YIL, which has Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi on its board of directors, had "taken over" over the assets of the defunct print media outlet in a "malicious" manner to gain profit and assets worth over Rs 2,000 crore. Apart from the Gandhis, Congress treasurer Motilal Vora, general secretary Oscar Fernandes, journalist Suman Dubey and technocrat Sam Pitroda were also named in the case.