The Congress party, long shielded by legacy, entitlement, and a pliant ecosystem of loyalists, is now staring down the barrel of the law in the festering scandal that is the National Herald case. With the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filing a chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and their close aide Sam Pitroda, the noose is tightening around a dynasty that has long considered itself above scrutiny and beyond consequence. And this isn’t some retired royalty — both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are sitting MPs in Parliament, in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, respectively. The latest development? On April 11, the ED began proceedings to seize immovable assets worth ₹661 crore tied to The National Herald and its publisher, Associated Journals Limited (AJL). Property registrars in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow have been directed to take over AJL’s assets under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Notices have gone up outside Herald House in Delhi — a building symbolizing more than just a defunct newspaper but the depths of Congress’s entitlement economy. Let’s be clear: this isn’t some political vendetta. This is a scandal rooted in cold facts and brazen manipulation. The heart of the matter is this — AJL, which once published the National Herald, held properties worth over ₹2,000 crore. In 2010, a shell entity called Young Indian Limited (YIL), owned 76% by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, acquired these assets for a laughable ₹50 lakh. Not ₹50 crore. ₹50 lakh. That’s the kind of sweetheart deal even oligarchs would envy.
The pretext? AJL had supposedly defaulted on a ₹90 crore “loan” from the Congress Party — money that had conveniently come from party funds, likely violating income tax and FCRA regulations. In swooped YIL, formed just months earlier, claiming the right to “recover” this loan, thereby acquiring the entire AJL estate for peanuts. Except YIL didn’t recover a thing — it acquired and absorbed. This isn’t just unethical. It stinks of criminality. The ED is probing fake donations, dubious rent agreements, and other tools allegedly used to launder money through AJL’s real estate empire. Herald House in Delhi, AJL buildings in Mumbai and Lucknow — all of them became pawns in a deeply questionable corporate re-engineering that reads like a crash course in how to abuse political power for personal gain. And this is no witch-hunt. The case began in 2012, when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint before a trial court, alleging criminal breach of trust, cheating, and conspiracy. Both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court have refused to quash the case. In 2015, the Gandhis were granted bail. In 2016, they were exempted from personal appearances — but not from prosecution.
The Congress party has tried hard to spin this as political persecution. But that narrative falls apart when confronted with hard facts — like the testimonies of shareholders such as former law minister Shanti Bhushan and former judge Markandey Katju, who allege their family shares in AJL were transferred without notice or consent. Their voices, far removed from BJP politics, have added credibility to the claim that this was a hostile takeover, not a corporate rescue. Meanwhile, another Gandhi family member, Robert Vadra — best known for his real estate escapades — showed up before the ED this week in a multi-crore land case. The dynasty is not short of scandals; it is only short of answers. Let’s not forget: in 2018, the government cancelled the 56-year lease of Herald House because AJL was no longer publishing any newspaper — a violation of the lease’s core condition. Yet, thanks to legal gymnastics, the eviction was stayed by the Supreme Court in 2019. The next hearing? April 25. Expect fireworks. This case is not just about a newspaper. Its about political entitlement gone rogue. It’s about a party that used public donations and institutional power to enrich a privileged few under the guise of resuscitating a dead media outlet. The ED’s aggressive push to file chargesheets before the April 25 hearing is aimed at strengthening its prosecution case. And rightly so. If this were any other political party or business group, the media and civil society would be up in arms. But because it’s the Gandhis, we’re asked to tread gently, lest we upset the liberal applecart. No more. India deserves accountability — especially from those who wrap themselves in the flag of freedom, democracy, and secularism while quietly writing themselves blank cheques. The National Herald case must be prosecuted with full force. Let the chips fall where they may — even if it means the sun finally sets on the House of Gandhi.