National Herald BJP's bid to tarnish Gandhi family's freedom struggle: Mathew Antony in Manipur

Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, Mathew Antony, has claimed that the National Herald case is a BJP invention aimed at digression, diversion, and distortion. Speaking at Congress Bhavan in Manipur, he alleged that it is an attempt to tarnish the Congress party's and the Gandhi family’s role in India’s freedom struggle.
 

Addressing the media during a press conference held on April 21, Mathew Antony said that the case was brought up to divert public attention from the crucial issues facing the nation, to cover up the government's failures, and to distort the legacy of the freedom movement.
 

He stated that the so-called chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi is nothing but pure political witch-hunt. “Every member of the Gandhi family — whether in politics or not — is being targeted by the BJP,” he added.
 

Recalling the contributions made by the National Herald and Associated Journals Limited (AJL), Antony said, “National Herald is a national heritage of the freedom movement. AJL was formed during the British period in 1937-1938 as a public limited newspaper company and act as mouthpiece of the struggle to not make profits.”
 

Explaining the financial background, he said that when National Herald and AJL faced worsening financial conditions, the Congress party stepped in between 2002 and 2012. “The debt is converted into equity to make the balance sheet debt-free. It is a common practice and perfectly legal in nature. Not a single penny or asset has been transferred,” he claimed.
 

Strongly opposing the ED's handling of the National Herald case, Antony said that selective justice is nothing but political thuggery. “The Modi government has made the ED its election department and is shamelessly and repeatedly misusing it for political vendetta,” he alleged.
 

He further said that the conviction rate of ED cases is just 1 per cent, while 98 per cent of the political cases registered by the ED are against the ruling party’s rivals.
 

Antony accused the BJP government of desperately trying to muzzle the Congress party by targeting its leadership and the Gandhi family through fabricated and false cases, stating that it is a direct and dangerous assault on the very idea of democratic opposition.
 

He reaffirmed the Congress party’s stand, saying, “No matter how much the BJP tries to silence us, we won’t remain mum. Those who try to scare others are scared themselves.”
 

“This is a political witch-hunt, and the Congress Party will face it head-on. Truth will prevail,” he concluded.
 

The press conference was also attended by former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, President of the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee Keisham Meghachandra, and Vice President Hareshwar Goshwami.