Bold claim: The National Herald case has ignited protests inside Parliament as opposition MPs urge accountability and demand an end to political vendetta. In New Delhi on December 17, a chorus of opposition voices gathered within Parliament premises, brandishing posters that read 'Satyamev Jayate; Truth prevails!' and calling for justice. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor joined the demonstrations, criticizing the government for what he described as vendetta politics surrounding the National Herald matter.
Earlier in Belagavi, Karnataka Congress leaders held a separate demonstration near the Gandhi statue at Suvarna Soudha. They protested the Central government’s handling of the National Herald case and opposed the proposed renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to VB-G Ram G, arguing that the changes were politically motivated.
During the Belagavi protest, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar emphasized the historical significance of the National Herald, noting its ties to India’s freedom struggle. He asserted that Jawaharlal Nehru founded the newspaper and argued that current central agencies are acting unfairly. He called for an end to what he described as vindictive politics and declared that justice would prevail.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accused the ruling coalition of pursuing the case with political vendetta aimed at harassing the Gandhi family. He told reporters that the allegations were baseless and that no First Information Report (FIR) had been filed in the case. Kharge insisted that the move was a political tactic to trouble the Gandhi family and reiterated the Congress’s rallying cry of 'Satyamev Jayate,' while expressing openness to the court’s judgment.
In related developments, a Delhi court on Tuesday declined to take cognizance of the Enforcement Directorate’s prosecution complaint in the National Herald money-laundering case. The court ruled that proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) could not proceed in the absence of an FIR for the predicate offence, underscoring procedural prerequisites in such cases.
