ED case: Anurag Thakur calls National Herald as 'ATM of Congress'

New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Calling the near-defunct National Herald newspaper as an ATM of the Congress, former Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday targeted the grand old party for following the policy of “family first, party next” and said the ED case has shown that its leaders have been “caught cheating, yet again”.

Hitting out at the Congress for its legacy of alleged corruption since the time of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Thakur said, "Whenever we talk about National Herald... it gives sensation to the entire ecosystem of the Congress party. It is obvious that they would get a sensation as they have been caught stealing red-handed yet again. If you look at the history of Congress, several scams have come to light since Independence."

He said the ED probe has shown that the Congress leaders tried to acquire property worth Rs 2,000 crore by paying Rs 50 lakh, exposing the “Congress model of corruption”.

He also alleged that rent and advertisement being given to National Herald has exposed Congress’s scam and treatment of the newspaper as an ATM.

Thakur’s attack on the Congress coincided with a protest march by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha in Delhi against the alleged corruption by Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald Case.

Leading the Yuva Morcha protesters, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said, “The Congress has a history of corruption.”

Walking with party workers holding placards that read, “Corruption in tradition, Congress’s only mission”, Sachdeva said, adding, “There is no reason for the Congress to feel restless if its leaders have done no wrong.”

The ED investigation in the National Herald Case is proceeding with the permission from the High Court, as the judges refused to consider the objections raised by the Congress.

Earlier, Thakur launched a broadside against the Gandhi family for misusing its authority for corruption.

They follow the principle of family first, party next, he said, adding that the Congress’s uneasiness over ED proceedings against party leaders in the National Herald case was an indication of their guilt.

Thakur also hit out at Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for giving advertisements to the defunct National Herald media.

“In Himachal Pradesh, the big newspapers are getting a fourth of the government advertisement being given to National Herald,” he said.

Thakur said the ED chargesheet has exposed the “Congress model of corruption” as a weekly paper, which is not even published, is getting more advertisement than daily newspapers.

--IANS

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