Politics National
Here’s why Sonia Gandhi named her long-time confidant, quintessential Congressman Motilal Vora in ED questioning
L to R: Sonia Gandhi with Motilal Vora
Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, who is currently being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the third day in the National Herald newspaper linked money laundering case, named party’s former treasurer late Motilal Vora saying the latter alone knew about the – acquisition of AJL and its assets worth ₹800 crore by Young Indian Private Limited – and details of the transactions between Congress, AJL and Young Indian.
Gandhi, during her questioning by the ED on Wednesday, expressed her inability to explain the transactions regarding the takeover of the assets of AJL, the publisher of National Herald and other publications by Young Indian Private Limited.
The ED probe relates to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper.
How was Motilal Vora connected to the National Herald case?
Vora was chairman of AJL and later a Director in the Young Indian Private Limited (set up in 2010 with Rahul Gandhi as its Director), which was associated with the National Herald. While Sonia and Rahul together had 76% shares in the company, Vora owned the remaining 24% along with former Union Cabinet Minister late Oscar Fernandez.
Everything you need to know about Motilal Vora:
- Vora was considered to be the last of Gandhians in Congress party who earned the trust of the Gandhi family
- Vora witnessed the state and national politics for nearly five decades
- Vora had reportedly co-signed the agreement declaring the AJL group’s National Herald newspaper’s closure in January 2008
- Vora was also questioned by the ED in the National Herald case
- Veteran leaders were of the opinion that Vora was one such leader who would make it a point to sit in the AICC office everyday
- Fondly called as‘Babuji,’ Vora was the former Governor of Uttar Pradesh in the post-Babri Masjid demolition era
- Vora was considered as a people’s man who was accessible to all
- He was also the chairman of Associated Journals Limited and later a director in the Young Indian, associated with the National Herald
- He was a six-term MLA of undivided Madhya Pradesh Assembly and had also served as the Rajya Sabha MP four times and as a Lok Sabha MP once.
- Vora was a socialist leader and was initially in the Samajwadi Party.
- Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Vora was one of the oldest members of the Congress who continued to act as a confidant and loyalist to Sonia Gandhi.
- A quintessential Congressman, Vora was the All India Congress Committe (AICC) treasurer for 18 years – the longest among his fellow members.
- Vora passed away on December 21, 2020 – just a day after celebrating his 93rd birthday – after battling COVID-19.
Also read: In Pics: Delhi Police detain Rahul Gandhi, Congress MPs in protest over Sonia’s ED grilling
Politics
After Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, his namesake who contested from Wayanad disqualified
Rahul Gandhi
An independent candidate for Lok Sabha elections named Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from contesting polls for failing to lodge account of election expenses. Gandhi, who’s name figures as ‘Rahul Gandhi K E S/o Valsamma’ in an Election Commission list of persons, had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent and had received 2196 votes from the Wayanad seat in Kerala – a constituency from where ex-Congress MP Rahul Rajiv Gandhi had won with over seven lakh votes.
However, since it is mandatory for all contestants to submit their account of election expenses among other mandatory requirements under EC rules and the Representation of the People Act.
Rahul Gandhi K E S/o Valsamma stood disqualified to contest polls from September 13, 2021 till September 13, 2024. According to Section 10A, the Election Commission can disqualify a contestant for a period of three years from the date of the order if he/she has failed to lodge an account of election expenses within the time and in the manner required by law and has no good reason or justification for the failure.
Also read: ‘CBI under UPA govt. pressurised me to frame Modi,’ recalls Amit Shah
Home Minister Amit Shah
Home Minister Amit Shah said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), under the Congress-led UPA government, tried to pressurise him in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case filed against him when he was the Home Minister of Gujarat.
Shah said the same, in New Delhi on Wednesday, while responding to a question on Opposition’s charge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi government is ‘misusing’ central agencies to target them.
Shah said the CBI tried to put pressure on him to ‘frame’ then Gujarat Chief Minister Modi in the alleged fake encounter case during the Congress government.
Speaking about ex-Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a defamation case by Gujarat Court, Shah said the Congress leader was not the only politician who was convicted by a court and lost membership of the legislature.
Speaking about ‘misuse’ of central agencies, Shah said, “I will tell you how agencies are misused, I have been a victim of it. The Congress did not file a corruption case against us. There was an encounter when I was the home minister of Gujarat. A case was filed against me and the CBI arrested me.”
He added, “In 90% of the questions during my interrogation, I was asked why I was getting bothered and they said they would leave me if I name Narendra Modi. Even then, we did not protest or wear black clothes or stop Parliament’s functioning. An SIT was formed against Modi, which the Supreme Court itself dismissed.”
He concluded by saying, “In my entire interrogation, I was told ‘Modi ka naam de do, de do. But why should I frame him? Today, the same Congress is crying over its fate.”
Also read: Adani’s entire money belongs to PM Modi: Sanjay Raut
Sanjay Raut
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut claimed that all the wealth of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani belonged to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Raut made the claim on Wednesday by stating, “I agree with Kejriwal’s statement. He has rightly said that Adani is only a face. All the money which is with Adani in fact belongs to PM Modi and it needs to be probed. Adani is being protected because of all that. During his chief ministership, Adani’s empire came into existence. He (Modi) speaks on all topics but not on Adani. The Opposition is struggling, your industrialist (Adani) has looted the country.”
Speaking further, Raut said, “Rahul (Gandhi) also rightly raised a question regarding the ₹20,000 crore in Adani’s account. Give us answers. There is no point in talking about what happened when you were CM.”
He further asked, “Why don’t you (Modi) talk about the issues raised by Rahul Gandhi and the JPC demanded by the Opposition on the Adani issue? What is your relationship with Adani? Are the ED and the CBI only for us (the Opposition), not for Adani? Will you do the audit of the PMCARES fund?”
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