New Delhi, Apr 16 (UNI) The Congress on Wednesday slammed the Modi government, accusing it of spreading "fake propaganda" by using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file a chargesheet against senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC office here, party leaders Jairam Ramesh and Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed that it was a case of sheer political vendetta to divert and digress public attention from the pressing issues facing the country.

Asserting that there was not even a whiff of crime of any sort, Singhvi claimed a fake narrative was created through a non-existent case to deviate, divert and digress the public's attention from unemployment, falling GDP and social unrest.

“Actually, it is nothing but vendetta in legal disguise,” he said, while adding the ED should answer why no NDA ally or BJP leader is touched by the agency (ED).

“Selective justice is nothing but political thuggery,” he said.

He said it was for the first time that a money laundering case was made without the transfer of money or one millimetre of property. “Where is the proceeds of the crime?” he asked.

Giving a brief description of the case, Dr Singhvi said the Associated Journals of India (AJL), which was founded to promote and propagate special values, suffered losses, and the Congress party supported it financially from time to time.

He added that when the total debt reached about Rs 90 crores, it was decided to make the company debt-free.

The senior lawyer expressed confidence that the case will fall flat in the court. He said the conviction rate of the ED cases is one per cent. Besides, he added, 98 per cent of the ‘political’ cases the ED has registered are against the political rivals of the ruling party.

“Government has made the ED its election department and is shamelessly and repeatedly misusing it for vendetta”, he remarked.

Jairam Ramesh too alleged that it was the politics of vendetta, intimidation, persecution and fear mongering being resorted to at the behest of two people who have a criminal mentality. “No matter how much they try to silence us, we won’t be silenced,” he asserted.

Jairam said that the CPP Chairperson and the Leader of the Opposition were deliberately being targeted to divert attention from the economic crisis, people’s issues and the challenges related to foreign policy – the USA, China and Bangladesh.

UNI RBE ARN