Salient points of the press conference of BJP National Spokesperson Dr. Sambit Patra (MP)

Salient points of Press Conference of BJP National Spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Dr. Sambit Patra

The Enforcement Directorate stated that even though AJL's properties physically remain in place, they were used to conceal and safeguard proceeds of crime

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Young Indian allegedly collected ₹18 crore in bogus donations, earned ₹38 crore as fake rental income, and received ₹29 crore in the name of advertisements, yet no actual advertiser came forward

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The shares acquired by Young Indian were also transferred without informing the original shareholders

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The entire family, including the mother and son, has been involved in looting. Robert Vadra sold land in Shikohpur worth ₹7.5 crore for ₹50 crore. While Rahul and Sonia Gandhi are involved in the ₹5000 crore National Herald scam, Robert Vadra is linked to a ₹50 crore land scam in Shikohpur

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‘Associated Journals Limited’ began incurring heavy losses, and by 2008, when its newspaper operations were shut down, the company had recorded a loss of ₹190 crore

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For the launch of Young Indian Limited, ₹5 lakh were raised, but there is no clarity on the source of this amount. The company later paid off Congress’ ₹90 crore loan by investing just ₹50 lakh
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Congress extended a loan to Young Indian, but it is completely inappropriate for a political party to lend money to another entity

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In the acquisition of Associated Journals Limited by Young Indian, the Income Tax Department found that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi committed tax evasion amounting to ₹414 crore and acquired property worth ₹5,000 crore by paying only ₹50 lakh, without paying the required taxes
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Bharatiya Janata Party National Spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Dr. Sambit Patra addressed a press conference at the Delhi BJP office in New Delhi on Thursday. During the conference, Dr. Patra revealed several new facts related to the National Herald case and strongly criticized Robert Vadra over the land scam in Shikohpur. He disclosed that Young India used its building for bogus charity, bogus rentals, and fake advertisements.

Dr. Patra said that news related to the National Herald is being prominently published in the country's leading news outlets. The names of two key members of the Gandhi family, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, have surfaced in this case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a detailed charge sheet in the National Herald case on April 15. This case is already in the judicial process, and now it will be examined and scrutinized in depth based on new facts and documents.

BJP National Spokesperson Dr. Patra stated that the case is being pursued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). If the charges are proven through investigation and court proceedings, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi could face a sentence of up to 7 years. However, all citizens are equal before the law, and the law will perform its duties impartially. The party also urges that the public be transparently informed about the truth of this case and the legal process.

Dr. Patra stated that this is not a new case. It began around 2012-13. When the Bharatiya Janata Party government came to power in 2014, the investigation and actions related to this case were accelerated. In 1937-38, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru established a company named 'Associated Journals Limited,' which was a publishing house. Under this company, three major newspapers were published — 'National Herald' (in English), 'Qaumi Awaz' (in Urdu), and 'Navjeevan' (in Hindi). The publication of these newspapers was done through 'Associated Journals Limited,' which was established in 1937-38. Pandit Nehru did not make himself the owner of this company; instead, he made the freedom fighters who participated in the freedom struggle the shareholders of this company. Nearly 5,000 freedom fighters became shareholders of the company, making it a shared asset of those freedom fighters who took part in the country's independence movement, rather than the property of any individual or family. Since this company did not engage in business or profit-making, it was re-established as a non-commercial entity in 1956. Because of this, land was requested at discounted rates from various states across the country. At that time, Pt.  Nehru was the Prime Minister, and considering the nature of the institution, many states provided land at very low prices—₹1 or ₹2 per square meter. In this way, the company acquired land in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow, where offices and buildings were constructed. The National Herald building located on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi is the largest asset of this institution. Across the country, there are about 100 locations where National Herald’s properties are situated. Over time, the company faced financial difficulties. 'Associated Journals Limited' began incurring heavy losses, and eventually, the publication of the newspapers had to be completely shut down in 2008. During this period, the company recorded a loss of nearly ₹190 crore and entered a serious financial crisis.

BJP National Spokesperson Dr. Patra stated that the debt accumulated by the company was primarily due to regular expenses such as paying salaries to employees, maintaining buildings, and covering utility bills like electricity and water. Amid these challenges, Motilal Vohra, the director of 'Associated Journals Limited', contemplated how to repay this debt. At that time, the company had a debt of approximately ₹90 crore. In this situation, Motilal Vohra sought help from the Congress party. He urged Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, stating that the institution founded with the spirit of the freedom struggle was now facing a deep financial crisis and needed a loan from the Congress party to survive. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi advised him to get in touch with the party treasurer. Subsequently, Motilal Vohra took a loan from the Congress treasurer, but over time, the loan could not be repaid.

Dr. Patra said that this story dates back to 2010, when some senior leaders associated with the Congress party established a new company named 'Young Indian Limited'. The four key members of this company were Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Oscar Fernandes, and Motilal Vora. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi each held 38% of the shares in Young Indian Limited, meaning together they held a 76% stake. On this basis, it becomes clear that the real control of Young Indian Limited was primarily in the hands of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The company was launched with a capital of ₹5 lakh, but there was concern about the source of these funds. To resolve this issue, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi took a loan of ₹1 crore from another company—Dotex India. The reason for taking a ₹1 crore loan for just ₹5 lakh capital was that Dotex India had extended this loan without any guarantee, essentially as a kind of gift.

Dr. Patra stated that thereafter, Young Indian approached Motilal Vora and offered a proposal: Young Indian would repay the ₹90 crore loan taken by the Congress party, and in return, they would be paid ₹50 lakh. Motilal Vora accepted the proposal, and in exchange for the ₹90 crore loan, the shares of Associated Journals Limited were transferred to Young Indian. In this manner, Young Indian acquired all the shares of Associated Journals and offered to settle the Congress party’s debt. This case is related to a company’s shareholding and property. With an investment of ₹50 lakh, Young Indian acquired 9.1% shares, thereby gaining control over Associated Journals Limited. This included properties located in Delhi, Lucknow, Meerut, Bhopal, and other prime locations. Following this, all such properties came under the ownership of Young Indian. Subsequently, Congress leader Motilal Vora announced the waiver of the ₹90 crore loan given by the Congress party.

BJP National Spokesperson Dr. Patra stated that the question arises—can a political party give a loan to another entity? The Congress party gave this loan to Young Indian, which itself is a political organization. And was it right to waive off such a loan? Following this, it was alleged that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi grabbed the property worth ₹5,000 crore. This was described as a kind of "robbery" involving top Congress leaders.

Dr. Patra stated that on April 15, the ED filed a charge sheet naming Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sam Pitroda, and Suman Dubey. All these individuals are associated with Young India, and their names have come forward as accused in this case. In its charge sheet, the ED has included the names of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi under various sections of the PMLA. Several significant events took place between 2022 and 2025 in this case. The ED questioned them, during which complete details emerged about where the money was hidden and how the transactions took place. The only employee of National Associated Journals Limited, Mallikarjun Kharge, was also questioned. When Young India purchased Associated Journals Limited, it was observed that after acquiring such a large property, taxes were due. However, the Income Tax Department found that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi evaded ₹414 crore in taxes. They acquired ₹5000 crore worth of property by paying just ₹50 lakh, but did not pay taxes. The ED raided 16 locations related to Associated Journals’s properties, recovering several important documents. These documents revealed several new facts. The ED's charge sheet mentions why these properties were sealed.

National Spokesperson Dr. Patra stated that the ED claims that these properties were used for illegal money laundering, and through them, money linked to crime was secured. The Congress leaders are claiming in the press conference that no property was bought or sold, but the ED has stated that although the properties still stand, they were used to hide and secure money linked to criminal activities. The ED also mentioned that approximately ₹1000 crore was made through these properties. The properties were sealed to prevent the manipulation of these funds. The ED has also pointed out that bogus donations amounting to ₹18 crore were made, despite Young India being a non-profit organization, which was supposed to focus solely on charity work and not engage in real estate or profit-making activities. However, when their documents were examined, it was found that not a single penny was spent under the guise of charity. Everything was commercial, and the ₹18 crore bogus donation was traced, but no donor's name could be found. Bogus advance rents were also taken. For one building, someone claimed to pay ₹2 crore per month as rent, and while rent was coming in, the building was empty. Young India used this method to earn ₹38 crore, even though no company was in the building. ₹29 crore was collected under the pretext of bogus advertisements, but no advertisement provider came forward. After the ED's investigation, all this fraudulent activity came to light. This raised many questions, including how the shares acquired by Young India were transferred without informing the shareholders. Even Shanti Bhushan and Markandey Katju raised questions on how this transfer happened without shareholder consent. It was entirely a fraudulent scheme.

BJP National Spokesperson Dr. Patra stated that this case went on from 2008 to 2011, and it happened like a robbery. The entire family, along with the parents, was involved in looting. In the meantime, Robert Vadra’s name also came up. He bought 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur for ₹7.5 crore and sold it to DLF for ₹50.8 crore three years later. The ₹7.5 crore land he purchased was also not paid for. It was sold to DLF, and the money from DLF was used to pay DLF itself. How did this happen? Was the land use changed? Was there no license to develop commercial property there? Later, DLF and Robert Vadra struck a deal worth ₹50 crore, changing the land use. Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Robert Vadra have been involved in a ₹5000 crore and ₹50 crore scam. The Gandhi family’s mindset was that they would keep looting, and India would stay silent, but that time is now over. Gone are the days when you were in power and thought this country was your personal property. This country now belongs to the poor, and those who have stolen from the poor are now the biggest criminals. They must go to jail.

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