The anti-corruption drama playing on TV screens across the country on Thursday reached the doorstep of 10, Janpath, with Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy demanding a multi-agency probe into the dealings of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
Swamy alleged the duo had surreptitiously taken control of The Associated Journals Ltd (TAJL), a company that owned and published the now-defunct National Herald daily, with the objective of taking control of the multi-storeyed building it owns. Called Herald House, the building on the busy Bahadurshah Zafar Marg was worth at least Rs 1,600 crore on Thursday, said Swamy.
Swamy said the All India Congress Committee took over the Rs 90-crore liabilities of loss-making TAJL on February 26, 2011. Later, Young Indian, a Section 25 company (meant to register a not-for-profit organisation), subscribed to a fresh issue of shares in the company, paying a meagre sum of Rs 50 lakh, effectively giving it control, alleged Swamy. Indian companies generally value land and buildings on a historical cost basis. Sonia and Rahul hold 38 per cent each in Young Indian, with the remaining shares equally divided between Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes.
Apart from these four, former journalist Suman Dubey and technocrat Sam Pitroda are also directors in this venture. Dubey is the authorised signatory and and managing committee member.
“Since land for Herald House was given by the Centre for the purpose of running a newspaper, it can’t be used for a commercial purpose. But, the Passport Seva Kendra is running from Herald House,” Swamy added. He said he’d written to the prime minister for a joint investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office. And, to the Election Commission of India, citing alleged discrepancies in the asset declaration filed by Rahul Gandhi ahead of the 2009 general elections. The Janata Party chief said he would wait for replies, but if the Centre failed to probe the charges, he would move court next month.
The Congress party was dismissive and refused to treat the charges seriously. Janardan Dwivedi, chairman of the party’s media department, when asked for a reaction, said: “In every country and in every society, there are always some unique specimens, ajooba, like the person you have named (Swamy). Such people are used to speaking anytime, on anything. They just don’t count.”
Last month, The Pioneer, a neighbour of the Herald on BSZ Marg, reported “Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul Gandhi, have floated a private company called Young Indian, expected to relaunch the defunct party-owned newspaper the National Herald.” The new company was registered under Section 25 of the Companies Act, the paper said.
In response to this story, Rahul Gandhi’s office had said, “”Young Indian is a company registered and holding a licence granted under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956. As a Section 25 company, Young Indian, is a not-for-profit company and does not have commercial operations. The activities of the company are in the public domain. Anyone who chooses to can inspect the (stated) Objects of the Company. The company has no intention of starting any newspaper.”
Said Swamy: “There is no mention of Young Indian in the affidavit submitted by Rahul Gandhi and Election Commission has to take action against him. There are documents to suggest that Sonia Gandhi had held a meeting of shareholders at her residence, which is against the law. Since the AICC is a political party, it cannot give loans to any company or person.”
The Janata Party chief further alleged that Rahul Gandhi had transferred 262,000 shares of The Associated Journals Ltd to his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other Congress leaders such as Vijay Darda and the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee were also shareholders of the company.
