For a party that never tires of lecturing the nation on “constitutional values,” the Congress seems remarkably allergic to the very idea that the law applies to everyone—including its own dynastic royalty. The FIR filed against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi is not some midnight knock engineered by a vindictive regime, as their spokespersons theatrically allege. It is a natural legal consequence of a case whose facts are neither new nor hidden, and whose seriousness has been affirmed repeatedly by courts in the past. Let us start with the basics—facts Congress hopes the country has forgotten. The National Herald case has been in public debate for over a decade, and the central allegation is simple: assets of a party-owned newspaper worth hundreds of crores were taken over by a private company, Young Indian, in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi together hold a controlling 76% stake. The takeover was done through what can only be described as a financial sleight of hand: a ₹90-crore loan quietly written off, followed by a near-zero-value acquisition of properties that include prime real estate in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, and other cities. This isn’t political vendetta. This is basic arithmetic. The Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department, and the courts have all examined the matter. In 2015, when the Gandhis rushed to the Delhi High Court pleading harassment, Justice V. Kameswar Rao minced no words: “The actions of the petitioners smell of criminality.” In 2016, the Supreme Court too refused to quash proceedings. If this is vendetta, then India’s courts must be in on the conspiracy too—a theory even Congress does not dare articulate. And now, when the FIR is finally filed based on the ongoing evidence and testimonies, Congress wants the nation to believe that this is somehow a political assault on democracy? No. This is democracy. A democracy where the powerful can be questioned, summoned, and prosecuted. A democracy where even the family that once saw itself as India’s first family must stand before the law like every other citizen.
The irony is delicious. Sonia Gandhi hand-picked Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh once declared that Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion. Perhaps she assumed that the rule applies only to others. But the National Herald case is just one chapter in the dynasts’ expanding legal library. Rahul Gandhi is facing a slew of cases involving defamation and reckless public assertions. Priyanka Vadra’s husband Robert Vadra’s alleged land deals in Rajasthan and Haryana are still very much alive in investigative pipelines. Even the Bofors stink has never fully left the family’s political aura. For decades, the Congress leadership operated under a simple assumption: that the family is untouchable. The police will not go near them. Agencies will quietly withdraw. Courts will hesitate. Media will look away. And political adversaries will fear the “victimhood” card that the Congress plays with Oscar-worthy conviction. That era is over. Instead of howling about the Prime Minister and blaming every investigative agency in the country, the Gandhis should welcome the opportunity to prove their innocence in court—if they can. But they cannot. Because the evidence is not just buried in some sealed cover; much of it is publicly available, documented in filings, parliamentary responses, company records, and court observations. Congress’s reflex response—to cry vendetta—has lost its magic. The public is no longer fooled. The same agencies they now disparage were once routinely weaponised by Congress governments against opponents ranging from George Fernandes to J. Jayalalithaa to L. K. Advani. Suddenly, when the spotlight turns inward, the institutions they once misused have become “dictatorial tools.” The rule of law is not optional. It does not bend to surnames. It does not pause for political sensitivity. And it certainly does not grant immunity to individuals who have held public office. The FIR against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi is not an attack on democracy. It is a vindication of it. It is a reminder that in a republic, no throne is permanent and no dynasty—no matter how entitled—can function as a parallel sovereign power above scrutiny. If the Gandhis believe they are innocent, let them prove it where it matters: before the court, not before their loyal press conferences. If they cannot, then they must face the consequences like any ordinary citizen would. For the first time in decades, the law is catching up. And that is not vendetta. That is justice.
