New Delhi [India], April 22 : Amid the ongoing scrutiny of the Gandhi family in the National Herald case, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government of misusing investigative agencies to target political opponents and claimed that all the allegations targeting the party related to the case were "false."
Taking a swipe at the Centre, the Congress MP criticised the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the questioning of her husband, Robert Vadra.
"I think the Prime Minister's advisors are giving wrong advice these days. The public understands the truth and how the agencies are being misused. The PM should revise his strategy," Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told ANI.
"The public understands the truth and how the agencies are being misused. My husband is being asked (by ED) why he gave Rs 4 lakhs to his mother 17 years ago. What kind of questions are these? In the case of the National Herald, everything is before the people. All this is being done for political reasons. All allegations are false," she added.
Responding to BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj carrying a tote bag with the words "National Herald Ki Loot" to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on One Nation One Election, Priyanka said, "Mujhe toh mazedaar laga..." I asked her about the bag, which had 'National Herald Ki Loot' written on it. She just smiled. They do what is guided to them by their leadership."
The move by Bansuri Swaraj came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in connection with the alleged money laundering case involving the National Herald.
Speaking to ANI, Swaraj earlier in the day said, "This is the first time that corruption has taken place in the fourth pillar of democracy-media. The charge sheet filed by the ED highlights the old working style and ideology of the Congress party. In the guise of service, they make public institutions a tool to increase their personal property. This is a very serious matter...The Congress party and its top leadership are accountable for this."
In response, Congress leader Sukhdeo Bhagat hit back at Swaraj, saying that the BJP is trying to defame the Congress party.
"Bansuri Swaraj is a reputed leader. She should first tell where the loot happened. The Bharatiya Janata Party is scared of the word BJP the way Britishers used to be scared. They are diverting people from the main issues. This is the deliberate attempt to defame the Congress leaders," Bhagat said.
On April 15, the ED filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) against top Congress members Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in connection with the money laundering case involving the National Herald. The chargesheet also names Congress leader Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey and others, including several firms.
The prosecution complaint has been filed under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, for the offence of money laundering, as defined under Section 3, read with Section 70, and punishable under Section 4 of the PMLA, 2002.
The complaint was filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, their associated companies, and other individuals.
Previously, in December, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi created a flutter after she carried a bag with the word 'Palestine' on it, after which the BJP strongly reacted to the development and called it 'Muslim appeasement'.