MANDI: Himachal Pradesh Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur has accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of violating official protocols by disbursing advertisements worth over ₹2 crore to the Congress-linked National Herald newspaper.
Addressing a press conference in Mandi, the former Chief Minister alleged that the newspaper had become a symbol of institutionalised corruption under the Congress regime.
Jai Ram alleged that the Congress and corruption had become synonymous. “Whenever national investigation agencies begin to expose the party’s financial irregularities, the Congress responds by intimidating and pressuring these agencies, rather than facing the law,” he remarked.
The BJP leader traced the roots of the controversy back to 1938 when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru founded the National Herald newspaper.
He alleged that the publication, once considered a prominent voice in Indian journalism, has over the decades become a vehicle for political profiteering under successive generations of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
₹2,000 crore property under scrutiny
Jai Ram highlighted that during the UPA regime, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi came under the scanner for allegedly acquiring real estate assets worth nearly ₹2,000 crore linked to the National Herald.
The issue came to light after Subramanian Swamy filed a case in 2012 in Delhi’s Patiala House Court, which named both Congress leaders as accused. In 2021, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) formally launched an investigation.
“Even at that time, the Congress staged demonstrations outside ED offices. This repeated pattern of protest suggests a desire to obstruct justice rather than cooperate with the law,” said Jai Ram, adding that even freedom fighters like Sardar Patel had raised concerns about the financial operations of the paper.
Protests by constitutional authorities unacceptable
Jai Ram objected to the participation of ministers and chief ministers in anti-ED protests. “It is highly inappropriate for individuals holding constitutional positions to undermine institutions tasked with upholding the law,” he asserted.
Criticising CM Sukhu, Jai Ram revealed that the Chief Minister allegedly justified the ad spend by saying, “National Herald is our newspaper, we can give it as much advertisement as we want. Such blatant disregard for public funds is unacceptable, especially when poor families in the state are selling their jewellery to afford healthcare.”
DAVP norms violated; local media neglected
Jai Ram claimed that in the last two years, over ₹2 crore was disbursed to National Herald and its sister publication Navjeevan, bypassing the standard advertising norms set by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP).
In some cases, payments were made twice in a single day, raising questions about financial propriety. He alleged that the state’s own newspapers and local media outlets were ignored, with the government instead choosing to channel funds toward entities linked to the Gandhi family.
“This is nothing short of looting the state treasury to appease the Congress high command,” Jai Ram said.
Looting mentality exists even today, alleges ex-CM
Jai Ram said, “The looting mindset of the Congress began before Independence and continues to this day. For the past 10 years, the people of India have kept the party out of power to put an end to this culture of corruption. Now, when investigation agencies are doing their job, Congress is once again taking to the streets.”
The press conference was also attended by Balh MLA Inder Singh Gandhi, Drang MLA Puran Thakur, BJP state vice-president Payal Vaidya, district president Nihal Chand Sharma, former president Ranveer Singh and media in-charge Rakesh Walia.
Munish Sood
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