Salient points of the press conference of Senior BJP Leader Shri Anurag Thakur (M.P.)

Salient Points of Press Conference of BJP MP and Former Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur

National Herald scam is a new chapter of Congress's "model of corruption": Shri Anurag Singh Thakur

************

Why do reputed daily newspapers get paid 25 paise and weekly National Herald gets paid a lot: Shri nurag Singh Thakur

************

Possession of property worth ₹2000 crores with an investment of ₹50 lakh, a unique model of Congress corruption: Shri Anurag Singh Thakur

************

Hearing the name of National Herald creates many sensations in the Congress party ecosystem: Shri Anurag Singh Thakur

************

18.4.2025, New Delhi: Former Union Minister and BJP MP from Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency, Shri Anurag Thakur addressed a press conference at the party’s central office, on Friday. During the conference, Shri Thakur shared details about the chargesheet filed in the National Herald case, describing it as another chapter in Congress’ “model of corruption”. Shri Thakur said that the Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states don’t provide donations to National Herald, instead, they funnel money to it through advertisements. On what grounds are these advertisements being given? Instead of waiving the loans of 1000 shareholders of AJL, Congress formed a new company whose shareholders were two former presidents of Congress and that company waived off the loan of Rs 90 crore by paying only Rs 50 lakh, so that property worth Rs 2000 crore could be grabbed.

Shri Thakur remarked that the Congress party has consistently tried to bring certain schemes before the public, but each attempt has ended in failure. The moment the name ‘National Herald’ comes up, a wave of panic, unease, and discomfort spreads among each member of Congress camp, which is understandable, as their leaders have been caught red-handed. Since independence, several scams have been linked to the Congress party, but the National Herald case remains a glaring example that continues to raise serious questions and is hard for anyone to overlook.

Former Union Minister Shri Thakur stated that the National Herald was launched by Pandit Nehru in 1938, but it failed to keep pace with the changing times. In 2008, efforts were made to revive it by bringing Associated Journals Limited (AJL) under the control of a new entity. To facilitate this, a new company called 'Young Indian' was established, with 76% of its ownership allocated to a single family. The Congress party provided a loan of ₹50 lakh to set up Young Indian, with the aim of acquiring Associated Journals Limited (AJL). At the time, AJL owed Congress around ₹90 crore, while its assets were valued at nearly ₹2,000 crore. With just a ₹50 lakh investment, Young Indian gained control over assets worth ₹2,000 crore, and the remaining ₹89.5 crore debt was written off by the Congress itself. This raises serious questions. Is a political party permitted to extend loans to a company? And if so, was any interest charged on the amount? Moreover, the National Herald is no longer a daily newspaper, it currently functions as a weekly publication.

Shri Thakur questioned, does the National Herald even get printed? Is there any journalist actively working with it today, or does anyone actually read it? Technically, it's a printed newspaper, but some papers exist only in name. They’re not printed, not sold, not distributed, not seen, and certainly not read. The National Herald seems to fall into that category. In Congress-ruled states, Chief Ministers don’t offer donations to this paper instead, they provide funds in the form of government advertisements. But that raises a serious question as to on what grounds are these ads awarded? Prominent daily newspapers with multiple editions across various districts receive barely any funding, while this weekly paper, National Herald, is handed a fortune. In Himachal Pradesh, for example, major dailies get mere pennies, but National Herald is lavished with silver coins.

BJP MP Shri Thakur pointed out that while Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister had made ten grand promises like financial aid for women, DA installments, and government procurement of cow dung and milk, not a single one has been fulfilled to date. The government claims there's no money to fulfill these commitments, yet it has no trouble finding funds to place advertisements in the National Herald. When certain financial statistics recently came to light, the Congress party was quick to deny any transactions ever took place. However, the Enforcement Directorate’s charge sheet paints a different picture, clearly outlining the nature of the alleged crimes, complete with dates, times, locations, and transaction details. The charge sheet reinforces the allegations of irregularities linked to the Congress party. This reflects what can be described as Congress’ “model of corruption”: where a weekly newspaper receives more financial support than major dailies, despite inconsistent or minimal publication. National Herald has essentially become an ATM for the Congress party, with various Congress-ruled states funneling public money into it via government channels. All of this comes out of taxpayers' pockets. On what grounds are state governments awarding such newspapers with advertisement funds?

Shri Thakur remarked that the properties granted to the Congress party whether in Mumbai, on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi, in Lucknow, or in other parts of the country are worth crores, even billions of rupees. These properties were allocated at subsidized rates under the pretext that they would be used to run newspapers. But serious questions now arise about their actual use.

·      Is the rent as questionable as the dubious figures claimed for the circulation of this so-called newspaper?

·      Congress' promises are fake, so is its leadership and now is this rent also fake?

·      With fake promises, questionable leadership, and now possibly fake rent figures too, is this Congress’s new “Mudra Mochan Yojana”?

·      If this newspaper is not being printed, not visible, and not sold, then why is it being given advertisements on such a massive scale?

·      The public has the right to know when, how much, and which Congress-ruled states have issued advertisements to this newspaper?

·      If the Congress party genuinely intended to waive off a debt, why didn’t it simply forgive the loan of Associated Journals Limited (AJL)

Former Union Minister Shri Thakur remarked that Rahul Gandhi, who once spoke proudly of a “Khata-Khat model,” now presides over a system in Congress-ruled states that can best be described as “broken, ailing, and helpless.” The promises made to the people remain unfulfilled, yet government funds continue to flow funds for advertisements to institutions like National Herald. The matter of acquiring assets worth ₹2,000 crore from an investment of just ₹50 lakh has exposed Congress’ corruption model before the nation.

Shri Thakur emphasized the need to examine a crucial question: can a political party, even if registered as a Section 8 or Section 25 company, legally extend loans in this manner? The newspaper at the center of this issue has been in publication since before independence and once had over a thousand shareholders. If the Congress party genuinely intended to waive off a debt, why didn’t it simply forgive the loan of Associated Journals Limited (AJL)? Instead, a new entity was formed, in which 76% of the ownership was concentrated within a single family. Two former Congress presidents became 38% stakeholders each, effectively handing over control to just two individuals and then, the Congress party proceeded to write off the loan.

BJP MP Shri Thakur pointed out that if the ownership had remained distributed among a thousand people, as it originally was, the Congress party might have had to forgive the debts of all of them. However, now, the property is controlled by just two individuals. The other two shareholders, Oscar Fernandes and Motilal Vohra, who each held a 12% stake, have passed away.

Former Union Minister Shri Thakur emphasized that the BJP has raised these critical questions before the nation, but Congress leaders are consistently avoiding providing answers. The Congress repeatedly claims there was no wrongdoing. However, when the trial court issued summons to them in 2014, they approached both the High Court and the Supreme Court. Both courts clearly ruled that the summons were entirely justified. Today, both senior Congress leaders are out on bail in corruption-related cases. The rulings from the courts in 2016, 2018, and now 2024 have all been unfavorable to them. The Enforcement Directorate’s investigation has been upheld as valid, and the attached assets have exposed yet another aspect of Congress’ “model of corruption” to the public.

***************