India’s Gandhis bailed over National Herald case

Talking to media persons after appearing in a trial court here in connection with the National Herald case, Sonia Gandhi said the party would continue its struggle for the poor.

“The current government is intentionally targeting its opponents by using government agencies”.

Speaking on the occasion Congress District General Secretary S K Bhagwath said that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi raised voice, against GST and land acquisition bill in the Parliament Therefore, the Centre is doing hatred politics against them. They were granted bail.

When a television reporter asked Sonia Gandhi if she was tense, the Congress President, who was then stepping into court, replied, “I am not afraid at all”. They think that opposition will bend.

“I respect the law”.

The BJP rejects any suggestion it is involved in the case, saying Swamy acted alone and stressing the court’s independence.

Sibal said technocrat Sam Pitroda was granted exemption due to his medical condition while other three accused, including Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes and Suman Dubey, were also granted bail.

On Saturday, when Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the partys vice-president Rahul Gandhi had to present themselves before a Delhi court in the National Herald case, Congress party members across the State staged protests against the BJP for levelling ‘false and baseless charges. “The bungalow was given as an award for dragging the Congress leadership to court”.

Despite denial of any show of strength in support of the Congress leadership, a huge crowd descended at the Akbar Road, many of them coming from Gandhis’ Amethi and Rai Bareli constituencies.

The legal battle has sown further bitterness between the Congress and Modi, who had vowed a “Congress-free India” even before he crushed the Gandhis in an election in 2015.

Minutes later, the Gandhis, including Priyanka Vadra, walked out of the court with the bail order of R50,000 each, and hurriedly drove away without creating any hullabaloo. Senior Congress leaders said while the legal process will take its course – the next hearing is on February 20 – the party will plan a series of countrywide agitations in the coming weeks to publicise that their leaders are being unfairly targeted by a vindictive government. “We should remind them that it is just bail, which they got, not the Bharat Ratna”, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told ANI.

“The minister is undoubtedly rattled as this is the first time that he is in the line of fire”, said an Odisha Congress leader.