Panchkula, Haryana: In a major political demonstration on Tuesday, workers and leaders of the Indian National Congress staged protests outside Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) offices in both Chandigarh and Panchkula, accusing the ruling party of political vendetta in the ongoing National Herald case.
The protest was led by senior Congress leaders and local party workers who gathered outside BJP offices, demanding what they termed justice and transparency in the high-profile case involving the National Herald newspaper and Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL). The National Herald case, which has drawn political attention nationwide, centres on allegations related to the transfer and alleged misuse of party-linked assets — including land in Panchkula — and the subsequent investigations by central agencies.
Addressing the crowd, Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committee President H.S. Lucky criticised the BJP government, alleging that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and other enforcement agencies are being used under pressure from the Prime Minister and Home Minister to target opposition leaders unfairly. He accused the BJP of weaponising legal processes to tarnish the reputation of Congress leadership and divert public attention from governance issues.
Demonstrators carried banners and chanted slogans outside the party offices, emphasising that the protest was a peaceful demonstration of dissent against what they called selective political targeting in the National Herald proceedings. The demonstration in Panchkula drew several local workers and supporters, highlighting the strong reaction among the opposition rank and file in the region.
Political observers say the protests underscore the heightened political tension ahead of upcoming civic and state polls, and the deepening divide between the BJP and Congress over issues of accountability and the role of investigative agencies in political matters.
Meanwhile, authorities monitored the protests to ensure they remained peaceful, with no major law-and-order disruptions reported from either Chandigarh or Panchkula during the demonstrations.