National Herald to resume publication: AJL

New Delhi, Aug 31 (PTI) Congress mouthpiece NationalHerald, which became defunct in 2008, shall resumepublication, the Associated Journals Ltd announced todaynaming senior journalist Neelabh Mishra as its newEditor-in-Chief. "The Associated Journals Ltd, a company founded in 1937by Pandit Jawaharalal Nehru, has taken steps to resumepublication of its English and Hindi newspapers NationalHerald and Navjivan. "The company has appointed senior journalist NeelabhMishra as Editor-in-chief for its Hindi and English newspapersand digital properties with immediate effect," CongressTreasurer Motilal Vora, who is also managing director of AJLLimited, announced today. Without specifying the exact date when the newspapersplan to resume publication, he said it would happen in comingmonths and will be followed by reviving of Quami Awaz, itsdefunct Urdu newspaper. Mishra had earlier been Editor of Outlook Hindu andhas done extensive work in areas of research and documentationincluding for the Right to Information movement andlegislation. Vora said the spirit of the forthcoming publicationsof The Association Journals Limited, a not for profit company,is captured by the tagline "Freedom is in peril, defend itwith your might". He said the publications shall seek to give voice to thevision of Nehru and shall seek to occupy a liberal,progressive, secular space. "They shall strive to represent the under-representedand all those deprived of voice, thereby promoting the idealsof a plural, democratic party," he said. Announcing the plans of relaunching the newspaper lastmonth, Vora had said the decision was taken at anExtraordinary General Meeting of AJL in Lucknow in January andthe process is on. In the Lucknow meeting, the Associated Journals Limited(AJL) had decided to convert into a not-for-profit companyand re-launch its newspapers. The decision had come in the midst of a legal battleover its past, which has ensnared Congress president SoniaGandhi and her son Rahul. The issue is pending in court. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who has also filed aprivate complaint in a local court, has accused top Congressleaders of misappropriation, a charge vehemently denied by theCongress leadership. Swamy has also written to Urban development Ministrydemanding cancellation of land allotment and confiscation ofproperties to AJL for alleged violation of allotmentconditions. Both Sonia Gandhi and and Rahul Gandhi along with fiveothers have been granted bail by the court on December 19,2015 after they appeared in response to the summons. The Enforcement Directorate has separately booked formerHaryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda,officials of theAssociated Journal Limited (AJL), publisher of the NationalHerald newspaper, and others on charges of alleged moneylaundering. The central probe agency registered a criminal caseunder the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act(PMLA) after taking cognisance of a Haryana State VigilanceBureau FIR of May this year. The Vigilance Bureau had registered a case of cheatingand corruption against Hooda and four officials who were inHUDA for allegedly re-alloting a plot to AJL in Panchkula in2005. PTI SPG SKCRT