Alagiri condemns BJP for freezing National Herald, ACL assets

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) K S Alagiri on Wednesday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP regime for freezing the assets of National Herald and Associate Journal Limited (ACL) with a political motive and said that the Congress party would not be cowed down by the vengeful actions of the Modi regime.

Remarking that the National Herald, which successfully fought the oppression of the British, would defeat the vengeful approach of the current rulers of the country, Alagiri said that the BJP has frozen the assets of AJL to divert attention from the miserable failure it would suffer in the five-state Assembly polls.

Stating that the act of the Modi regime demonstrated the lack of faith on the part of the BJP, the TNCC chief, in a statement issued in this regard, said that the PMLA could be invoked only if there is a predicate offence, but in the case of the National Herald and AJL case, no immovable property was sold, no transaction was done and there was no crime.

"Truth be told. No person has lodged a complaint of being cheated. It is a foisted case revived during elections to divert attention and exact political revenge, " he added.

Criticising that allies like CBI, ED and Income Tax department cannot stop the defeat of the BJP in the five-state Assembly polls, the state Congress president said that the loans were availed by mortgaging the assets of National Herald and there was no violation in transactions.

Freezing the assets of National Herald, which was the voice of the freedom movement and tradition of the Congress party, could not be justified in any way, Alagiri added, opening that the act of the BJP regime was a blatant and illegal act of political vengeance, which the Congress party would face legally.