National Herald case: ‘Not afraid, I am Indira Gandhi’s daughter-in-law,’ says Sonia Gandhi
NEW DELHI: A trial court in Delhi on Tuesday asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and five other accused to appear before it on December 19 in the National Herald cheating and misappropriation case.
Accusing the BJP-led government of political vendetta, Sonia told reporters outside Parliament, “Why should I be scared of anyone? I am Indira Gandhi’s daughter-in-law, I am not scared of anyone.”
“I leave it on you to judge,” she said before chairing a meeting of Congress MPs in Parliament, which was adjourned following uproar.
Sonia and Rahul, along with the other five accused, face allegations that the Congress had illegally acquired property belonging to the National Herald newspaper, established by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938. In 2008, Sonia decided to close the defunct paper.
On Monday, in a major setback for the Gandhis, the Delhi high court refused to cancel their court summons, saying the allegations made by the complainant, BJP leader Subramanian Swamty, “smacked of criminality”.