The Union Minister and Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad today launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi after the Delhi High Court on Friday ordered the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) to vacate the property of the National Herald. Prasad accused Gandhi family of squatting the government property and clandestinely transferring it in their name through trusts like Young India.
नैशनल हेरल्ड मुद्दे को लेकर बीजेपी का कांग्रेस पर निशाना, बीजेपी नेता रविशंकर प्रसाद ने कहा, ‘अगर वहां अखबार के पब्लिकेशन से जुड़ा कोई काम नहीं हो रहा, सिर्फ किराया वसूला जा रहा है तो फिर लीज जारी रखने का कोई मतलब नहीं है।’#NationalHerald #BJP pic.twitter.com/bV4SVVMh8J
— NBT Hindi News (@NavbharatTimes) December 22, 2018
Citing the court judgment, Prasad claimed that the Associate Journal Limited declared closure of all press operations when the Income Tax department approached them. AJL asserted that they had ceased their operations in April 2008 and had given out voluntary retirement to their employees then. However, when the centre issued an order to vacate the government land, they claimed that their operations are continuing there. The inspecting agencies found that no press unit was working on the premises for 10 years and its lease agreement was being used only for commercial purposes.
Prasad also alleged that since the main activity of printing newspaper had stopped, the AJL cannot be allowed to retain the property only to receive rent worth Rs70-80 lakh from it. Prasad also claimed that the National Herald’s assets worth more than Rs 5000 crore were surreptitiously transferred to the Young India Trust for a meagre amount of Rs 50 lakh.
Taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, Prasad said, ” The double standard is apparent. Rahul Gandhi is today asking many questions on Rafale deal despite the Supreme Court’s verdict. Will he and his mother explain how they transferred property worth crores on their name through Young India for just 50 lakhs? How can an organisation like Young India get 99% of the AJL’s leased out government property transferred to them?”
