India’s opposition party, the Indian National Congress, has reacted fiercely against new graft charges brought against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, calling them a “vendetta in legal disguise”. The party believes the charges are politically driven and aimed at intimidating opposition voices in the run-up to national elections.
Congress leaders claim that the charges are founded on recycled accusations previously rejected. “It’s nothing but a judicial witch-hunt designed to mar the image of our leadership and deflect attention from genuine issues that bedevil the country,” said Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh at a press conference.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has stepped up its investigation into financial improprieties in the National Herald case, rekindling a controversy that has brewed for almost a decade. Party loyalists have protested on the streets, accusing the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of weaponizing investigating agencies.
In spite of growing legal pressure, the Congress asserts that the Gandhis will stand up to the charges. “We are not afraid. We have nothing to hide,” declared Rahul Gandhi, reiterating his party’s pledge to transparency and justice and appealing for judicial impartiality in the trial.
