New Delhi, May 22 -- The Congress decided to revive the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which was in financial distress and stopped operations in 2008-09, because its publications, National Herald, Qaumi Qaumi Awaz and Navjivan, had been the voice of the freedom movement, according to Sonia Gandhi's statement to ED, which is now part of the charge sheet in the case. The federal agency had recorded the former Congress president's statement under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on three dates in July 2022. This is the first time details of Gandhi's statements have emerged. ED has claimed that after AJL closed its operations in 2008-09, the Gandhi family took control of it in 2010-11 as part of a "well thought out conspiracy" through Young Indian Private Ltd or YI, a company in which the Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi own 76% of the equity. "After attaining Independence, AJL publications, through articles and other activities spread awareness of our fundamental duties such as they are in the constitution of India, article 51 A (b) which states 'to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom'. Much later when AJL publications were not doing well, (Motilal) Vohra Ji, MD and chairperson took legal advice on how to revive AJL and that is when, with the support of legal luminaries, Young Indian was set up. It is for the reasons stated above in the first part of my answer that the Congress party had supported the revival of AJL," Sonia Gandhi said, according to an ED officer who asked not to be named. Her explanation was in response to a query on the rationale for the revival of AJL. To the same query, Rahul Gandhi said he was not associated with AJL and that Motilal Vora would be aware of it. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are named as accused number 1 and 2 in the charge sheet filed by the agency on April 9 before a Delhi court. The court is yet to take cognizance of the charge sheet. Calling the explanation a "self-serving theory of revival of AJL", and citing details of charge sheet, a second ED officer said that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Pawan Bansal were asked to provide independent third party evidence such as a project report with regard to the scheme of revival of AJL as allegedly architected by Motilal Vohra. The officer claimed that no such evidence was forthcoming. AJL was founded in November 1937 by Jawaharlal Nehru and published the National Herald, Qaumi Awaz in Urdu and Navjeevan in Hindi. Income Tax proceedings, initiated in 2017 revealed that YI purchased the Rs.90.21 crore interest free loan given by AICC to AJL by allegedly making a payment of only Rs.50 lakh to the former....