New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday asserted that the party would not be cowed by the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) steps against its leadership, and declared confidence in defeating the BJP-led Centre on the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Act, PTI reported.

Addressing a meeting of party general secretaries and in-charges in Delhi, Kharge said the Supreme Court had taken note of the concerns raised by the Congress and other opposition parties regarding the legislation.

He alleged that the Centre had intentionally brought up the 'Waqf by user' issue to stir disputes around such properties.

"The Supreme Court is hearing this case right now, we are confident that we will win this battle too," he said, adding, "I am happy that the Supreme Court has given importance to the points raised by the Congress and other opposition parties."

Accusing the ruling party of spreading misinformation, Kharge said,

"Especially the issue of 'Waqf by user' has been deliberately brought up by the government to put Waqf properties into dispute."

He claimed the Congress had successfully united the opposition to oppose the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament.

Kharge strongly criticised the ED’s chargesheet naming former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, calling it a “big conspiracy.”

He said National Herald properties in Delhi, Lucknow and Mumbai were attached shortly before this move.

"You must have noticed how, as part of a big conspiracy, the names of CPP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have been put in the charge sheet in the National Herald case. But no matter whose name they put, we are not going to be afraid," Kharge said.

"Just two or three days before that, the properties of National Herald in Delhi, Lucknow and Mumbai were attached. There is no doubt that all this is being done out of a spirit of vendetta," he added.

Defending the structure of the Young Indian firm, Kharge clarified that it is a non-profit entity.

"This means that no one can take or transfer the shares, properties or profit of AJL," he said, accusing the BJP of spreading lies.

"The BJP people are misleading people by lying. We have to tell the truth to the public."

The ED has filed its chargesheet before a special court in the National Herald case, naming Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others.

It has accused them of laundering ₹988 crore and claimed that they conspired to usurp properties worth ₹2,000 crore from Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by transferring 99% of shares to Young Indian — a private firm where Sonia and Rahul are majority shareholders — for just ₹50 lakh.

Kharge questioned the timing of the ED’s moves, suggesting it was not coincidental.

"It cannot be a mere coincidence that on one hand our AICC session is being held in Ahmedabad and immediately after that such a big action of ED is taken," he said.

He drew parallels with previous actions taken during the Congress’ plenary session in Raipur.

"I would like to remind you here that when the Congress plenary session was held in Raipur under my leadership, Modi ji got our leaders raided by using ED and CBI to make it a failure. His intention was to prevent the session from taking place. Still, it took place."

Recalling the period before the last Lok Sabha elections, Kharge said the party's bank accounts had been frozen but it did not deter public support.

"Before the Lok Sabha elections, our accounts were closed, yet the public doubled our numbers in the Lok Sabha," he said, adding, "our fight did not weaken."

The meeting was attended by senior party leaders including K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at the Indira Bhawan office.

Referring to the AICC session held in Ahmedabad on April 8–9, Mr Kharge emphasised the importance of taking the resolution’s message across the grassroots.

"Leaders have to take the message of the resolution passed there to every district, division, block and booth," he said.

He added that Rahul Gandhi had convened a meeting on April 15–16 to discuss the selection of district presidents in Gujarat.

"He communicated with the observers and instructed how the district presidents are to be selected."

Kharge concluded by underlining the party’s focus on sustained, issue-based political work.

"There are many burning issues before the country, which the party has to keep raising continuously. We have to continue working in a planned manner," he said.