The protests follow a demonstration held in Raipur on Wednesday, where Congress leaders and workers attempted to march towards the BJP office. Police stopped the march, leading to a brief standoff. During the protest, some workers blackened posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has accused the BJP of misusing central investigative agencies to target political opponents. In view of Thursday’s protests, the police have made tight security arrangements across the state, deploying additional forces and keeping a close watch on protest sites.
What is the National Herald case?
The National Herald case dates back to 2012, when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint in Delhi’s Patiala House Court. He accused Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey of cheating and financial irregularities in the takeover of the National Herald newspaper, which was being run at a loss.
According to the complaint, the Congress leadership formed a company called Young Indian Limited, in which the Gandhi family holds a majority stake, to acquire Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of National Herald. Swamy alleged that this move was aimed at gaining control of AJL’s prime assets, including the Herald House building on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi, estimated to be worth around ₹2,000 crore.
He claimed that a company valued at ₹2,000 crore was effectively taken over for just ₹50 lakh. Swamy sought criminal proceedings against the accused. Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes have since passed away.
In 2022, the Enforcement Directorate questioned Rahul Gandhi for nearly 50 hours over five days and Sonia Gandhi for about 12 hours over three days in connection with the case.
