New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday held protests outside Enforcement Directorate offices across the country over the agency's chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case and alleged that the action against its leaders showed panic and moral bankruptcy of the "despotic" government which wanted to divert attention from public issues and economic crisis.

The BJP stepped up its attack on the Congress, saying the opposition party has the right to protest but no one has the "licence to loot", and asserted that probe agencies will be unfazed by the Congress' "threats".

The law will take its course under the Modi government, BJP leader and former law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a press conference at party headquarters and dismissed the Congress' charge of vendetta.

The opposition party claimed that the "frivolous" case against its leadership is nothing but BJP's fear of a "rising, revived" Congress and alleged that the ruling party was trying to "whitewash its sins" with such actions.

"This effort is being made to divert attention from public issues, foreign policy and economic crisis. The masterminds of this politics of revenge are two people who have a criminal mindset, but we will not remain silent," AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said addressing a press conference along with Abhishek Singhvi.

Holding black flags and placards, Congress leaders and workers raised slogans against the government and the ED as they protested on streets and outside the agency's offices across the states.

In Delhi, a protest started at the AICC headquarters but the members were soon whisked away by the police.

The Congress put out explainers on social media, countering the allegations related to the financial loan given to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the company running National Herald, and termed as false the charges that Young Indian has taken over Rs 5,000 crore worth of properties of Associated Journals.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the "despotic government is hell-bent on targeting the Congress to whitewash its sins".

"BJP's economic mismanagement is spiralling out of control. Desperation is gathering steam. No vision, No solution, only diversion!," Kharge said in a post tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He alleged that the BJP is deliberately, out of vengeance, misusing the agencies and filing false cases, saying, "We will fight against this false case. If we were not afraid of the British, then what are BJP-RSS?".

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Congress has the right to hold 'dharnas' but that right does not extend to misappropriating public properties given by the government to the National Herald.

He outlined the main charge against the Gandhis that as 76 per cent shareholder of the Young India company, they "misappropriated" thousands of crores of real estate owned by AJL.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also said that there was no question of vendetta politics as the probe into the case began on the Delhi High Court's directive in 2013 when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power.

He alleged that the way the Congress leadership has played with the "legacy of freedom fighters" in the National Herald case raises "ethical questions". "They transferred our freedom fighters' property (AJL) to their own child," he charged.

The Congress said that "politics of vengeance, harassment and intimidation" has been going on for the last two days, adding that its leadership, particularly CPP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi have been deliberately targeted.

Singhvi said the case is nothing but vendetta in legal disguise.

"Selective justice is nothing but political thuggery," he said, asking where are the proceeds of the crime.

"This is the eighth wonder of the world, it is mocking justice, it represents the politics of vendetta," he said hitting out at the government.

Ramesh said, "You have been in power for 11 years, you have no evidence, no proof, nothing - otherwise you would not have been forced to wait for the 365th day." "This shows not only the government's panic but also their mental and moral bankruptcy. Modi ji, this is the Congress party. The blood of Rahul ji and Sonia Gandhi's own people is mixed in the soil of this country, show these false threats to someone else," he said.

"We cannot be silenced. We will continue to raise public issues," he said AICC general secretary K C Venugopal shared pictures of protests by Congress leaders across the country on X and said, "Whenever Modi fears, he puts forth the ED." Congress leader Pawan Khera, in a video post on X, said it was the British who used to fear the publication National Herald in the past while it is the RSS now.

"The British were irritated before 1947 with the National Herald, Gandhi family and Congress party, and now the Sanghis are getting irritated in the year 2025. The Gandhi family and the Congress party were the voice of the oppressed then and still are today," he said.

Singhvi claimed that the government is building a false narrative that the Gandhi family had made money and had usurped properties of AJL, whereas Young India is only a non-profit company and its shareholders have not benefitted even a single penny.

"This case is a process of distorting the law. It also shows the politics of revenge and harassment. If we look at the statistics, if there are 100 cases of ED, then about 98 per cent of them are against political rivals, especially people from the opposition, and the conviction rate in this is close to 1 per cent," he said.

"The question is where is the money trail in this case, where are the facts? What is the crime committed? What is the criminal intent? Who took advantage? But you will not get an answer to any of these questions.

The Enforcement Directorate filed the chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others before a special court here in the National Herald case, accusing them of laundering Rs 988 crore.

The prosecution complaint was filed on April 9 under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). PTI ASK PK KR SKC RT RT