Modi, Shah must resign: Congress after relief in National Herald case

The Congress on Wednesday demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shahs resignation after a Delhi court refused to take cognisance of the EDs money laundering charge against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case reported news agency PTIThe opposition party also vowed to expose the vendetta politics against its leadership asserting that the Congress cadre is agitated and is going to show its strength against the misuse of agenciesWe will keep fighting them both inside and outside Parliament and teach them a lesson party president Mallikarjun Kharge said at a press conferenceIn a relief to Sonia Gandhi Rahul Gandhi and five others a Delhi court on Tuesday refused to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorates money laundering charge against them in the National Herald case holding that the agencys probe stemmed from a private complaint and not an FIRI want to say that after this judgement Modi and Shah should resign because it is like a slap on their face They should give resignation as they should not harass people like this Kharge said at the press conference which he addressed with party leaders K C Venugopal Abhishek Singhvi Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera reported PTIThey should know that if they do such things people will not tolerate it he saidKharge said the Congress has been fighting the issue politically by taking out marches when the top leadership was summoned by the probe agenciesWe have been fighting on the streets in Parliament outside it and will continue to do it and teach them a lesson he saidVenugopal asserted that the Congress will expose the vendetta politics of the Modi governmentThe entire Congress cadre is agitated and will show its strength all over India against the misuse of agenciesSinghvi said the law has spoken louder than noise and termed the National Herald case a story of political vendetta and harassment reported PTIDelivering his order in a case that was marked by a political slugfest and legal battles for several years Special Judge Vishal Gogne said the cognisance of the EDs prosecution complaint relating to the offence of money laundering was impermissible in lawThe ED complaint was based on an investigation into a complaint by a private person Subramanian Swamy and not on an FIR of a predicate offence the judge saidThe court said it has now become premature and imprudent for it to decide the submissions made by the ED as well as the proposed accused in relation to the merits of the allegations especially so when cognisance is liable to be declined on a pure question of lawOther arguments possibly live to fight another day it saidED may file appeal against the courts orderED officials said the probe agency may file an appeal against the courts order after taking opinions from law officers including Solicitor General Tushar MehtaThe ED has accused Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi as well as late party leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes along with Suman Dubey Sam Pitroda and a private company Young Indian of conspiracy and money launderingIt has been alleged that they acquired properties worth approximately Rs 2000 crore belonging to Associated Journals Limited AJL which publishes the National Herald newspaperReacting to the order the Congress on Tuesday claimed that the illegality of the Narendra Modi government and its politically motivated prosecution stands fully exposedIn a statement the Congress said the EDs proceedings against Congress leadership Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the case were found to be completely illegal and mala fide by the courtWith inputs from PTI