National Herald

Last updated

National Herald
Freedom is in Peril, Defend it with All Your Might
National Herald India logo.svg
Type Daily newspaper
Owner(s)Associated Journals Limited, [1] Shiva Publications
Founder(s) Jawaharlal Nehru
PublisherThe Associated Journals Limited
Editor-in-chiefZafar Agha [2]
Founded9 September 1938;86 years ago (1938-09-09)
Political alignment Indian National Congress
LanguageEnglish
Relaunched1 June 2017
HeadquartersNew Delhi
CityNew Delhi and Lucknow
CountryIndia
Sister newspapers Qaumi Awaz (Urdu) and Navjivan (Hindi) [2]
Website nationalheraldindia.com

The National Herald is an Indian newspaper published by The Associated Journals Ltd and owned by Young India Limited a company by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi and Shiva Publications a partnership firm by Vishnu Goyal & Rekha Goyal. [3] It was founded by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938 as a tool to win independence. [4] It was banned by British government in 1942 during the Quit India movement. It was one of the major English language newspapers in India after the end of the British Raj, and occasionally published op-eds authored by Nehru. [5] The newspaper ceased operations in 2008 for financial reasons. In 2016, it was relaunched as a digital publication. [6] The newspaper has been linked to and controlled by members of the Indian National Congress political party. [7] [8]

Contents

The newspaper is an accused in the National Herald corruption case along with Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi. [9] [10]

History

National Herald was established in Lucknow on 9 September 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru. [11] [12] The paper carried on its masthead the words 'Freedom is in Peril, Defend it with All Your Might' taken from a cartoon by Gabriel from Brentford, Middlesex that Indira Gandhi had forwarded to Nehru. [13] Jawaharlal Nehru was an early editor of the newspaper and until his appointment as Prime Minister was the Chairman of the Herald's Board of Directors. [14] [15] In 1938, Kotamraju Rama Rao was appointed the paper's first editor. Following the Quit India Resolution of August 1942, the British Raj clamped down on the Indian press and the paper was shut between 1942 and 1945. [16] The Herald reopened in 1945 and from 1946 to 1950, Feroze Gandhi served as the paper's Managing Director, helping restore its financial health. [17] From 1946 to 1978, Manikonda Chalapathi Rau served as its editor. [16]

Nehru had served as the paper's international correspondent for a while and after becoming Prime Minister was able to use the paper to espouse unpopular views and to sidestep the press corps in conveying his thoughts on various issues to the reading public as in 1954 when he wrote a scathing piece on the Bikini Atoll nuclear tests titled 'The Death-dealer'. [5] The paper had editions from Lucknow and New Delhi, the latter begun in 1968. [16] [18] In Delhi, the paper was based out of Herald House on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, known as Delhi's Fleet Street while in Lucknow it was based out of the Nehru Bhawan and Nehru Manzil buildings. [19] The National Herald also had Hindi and Urdu editions named Navjeevan and Qaumi Awaz. [20]

In January 2008 discussions about closure began. [21] On 1 April 2008 the paper's editorial (of its sole remaining edition, New Delhi) announced that it was temporarily suspending operations. The paper had failed to modernise its print technology and had not computerised at the time of suspending operations and had been making losses for several years owing to lack of advertising revenues and overstaffing. At the time of its closure T V Venkitachalam was its editor-in-chief. [12]

Indore Edition

Mumbai based businessman Vishnu Goyal said his involvement with the National Herald dates back to 1998, when Shiva Publications (a partnership firm) bought rights to publishing the National Herald in Indore & Mumbai. Goyal launched the Indore edition in 2009, months after The Associated Journals decided to shut the Herald’s publication subsequent to settling dues of the staff. Designated as Chief Editor of National Herald & Global Herald Newspapers, Goyal is also the Chairman & Managing Director of Alpha Vision Overseas India Ltd, a company listed on the BSE. [22]

Plans for revival

National Herald, before its closure was being run by Associated Journals. [1] There were reports that the paper was being revived under journalist Suman Dubey, technocrat Sam Pitroda and the newly incorporated Young India Company headquartered at Herald House. [23] [24] However, Rahul Gandhi, a member on the board of Young Indian Company denied of such movement and mentioned that it is a not-for-profit company and cannot have any profitable business. [25] [26]

In March 2016, The Associated Journals Ltd. decided to revive the media outlet in digital form. On 1 October 2016, it announced the appointment of Neelabh Mishra as the Editor in Chief of the National Herald Group. [27] On 14 November 2016, an English website was launched. [28] Simultaneously, it also announced that the print publications under suspension, namely National Herald in English, Navjivan in Hindi and Quami Awaz in Urdu, would be revived in due course. In its press release dated 14 November 2016 [29] the National Herald group pledged its commitment to furthering the editorial vision and principles of its founder Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and India’s Freedom Movement – that of building a modern, democratic, just, equitable, liberal and socially harmonious nation.

Official re-launch

On 12 June 2017, Rahul Gandhi re-launched National Herald at an event in Bengaluru. Vice President of India Hamid Ansari was the chief guest and said, "The duty of the state is clear - free media is necessary for free society. When faced with unjust restrictions, censorship in the media can aid covering of abuses." [4]

Commemorative edition

The commemorative edition of National Herald was launched on 1 July 2017, by the then President of India Pranab Mukherjee. [30]

Controversies

The National Herald corruption case is an ongoing case in a Delhi court filed by Indian economist and politician Subramanian Swamy against politicians Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, their companies and associated persons. [9] As per the complaint filed in the court of the Metropolitan Magistrate, Associated Journals Limited (AJL) took an interest-free loan of ₹90.25 crore (US$11 million) from Indian National Congress. It is alleged that the loan was not repaid. [31] A closely held company, Young Indian, was incorporated in November 2010 with a capital of ₹50 lakh (US$60,000) and it acquired almost all the shareholding of AJL and all its properties (alleged to be worth ₹5,000 crore (US$600 million)). [32] [33]

A defamation suit of Rs 5000 crore was filed by Reliance Group, against National Herald claiming an article published by it regarding the Rafale fighter jet deal was "libellous and derogatory". [34] [35] .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian National Congress</span> Indian political party

The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party or simply the Congress, is a political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Empire in Asia and Africa. From the late 19th century, and especially after 1920, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress became the principal leader of the Indian independence movement. The Congress led India to independence from the United Kingdom, and significantly influenced other anti-colonial nationalist movements in the British Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonia Gandhi</span> Indian politician (born 1946)

Sonia Gandhi is an Indian politician. She is the longest-serving president of the Indian National Congress, a social democratic political party, which has governed India for most of its post-independence history. She took over as the party leader in 1998, seven years after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, her husband and a former Prime Minister of India, and remained in office until 2017 after serving for twenty-two years. She returned to the post in 2019 and remained the President for another three years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rahul Gandhi</span> Indian politician (born 1970)

Rahul Rajiv Gandhi is an Indian politician. A member of the Indian National Congress (INC), he is currently serving as the 12th Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and as the member of the Lok Sabha for Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, since June 2024. He previously represented the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala, from 2019 to 2024, and Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, from 2004 to 2019. Gandhi served as the party president of the Indian National Congress from December 2017 to July 2019 and is the chairperson of the Indian Youth Congress, the National Students Union of India, and a trustee of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust. He is a member of the Nehru–Gandhi political family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feroze Gandhi</span> Indian freedom fighter, politician and journalist (1912 – 1960)

Feroze Jehangir Gandhi was an Indian freedom fighter, politician and journalist. He served as a member of the provincial parliament between 1950 and 1952, and later a member of the Lok Sabha, the Lower house of Indian parliament. He published The National Herald and The Navjivan newspapers. His wife, Indira Gandhi, and their elder son Rajiv Gandhi were both prime ministers of India. He was a member of Indian National Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priyanka Gandhi</span> Indian politician

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is an Indian politician and a general secretary of the All India Congress Committee. She is the daughter of former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, sister of Rahul Gandhi, and granddaughter of Feroze and Indira Gandhi, making her a member of the politically prominent Nehru-Gandhi family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motilal Nehru</span> Indian lawyer and politician (1861–1931)

Motilal Nehru was an Indian lawyer, activist, and politician affiliated with the Indian National Congress. He served as the Congress President twice, from 1919 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1929. He was a patriarch of the Nehru-Gandhi family and the father of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varun Gandhi</span> Indian politician (born 1980)

Feroze Varun Gandhi is an Indian politician who has been a three time Member of Parliament for Lok Sabha from the Pilibhit constituency. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and was inducted into Rajnath Singh's team in March 2012 as General Secretary. He belongs to the Nehru–Gandhi family, which has occupied a prominent place in the politics of India since a time before the country's independence in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Delhi)</span> Multi-sports stadium in New Delhi, India

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is a multi-sports stadium located in New Delhi, India. It is named after the first first Prime Minister of India. Primarily a venue for football and athletics, it is an all-seater 60,254-capacity stadium, designed and constructed to meet the international standards set by FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and World Athletics (WA). It is the fourth largest stadium in India, 27th largest stadium in Asia and the 103rd largest stadium in the world, in terms of seating capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subramanian Swamy</span> Indian politician

Subramanian Swamy is an Indian politician, economist and statistician. Before joining politics, he was a professor of Mathematical Economics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He is known for his Hindu nationalist views. Swamy was a member of the Planning Commission of India and was a Cabinet Minister in the Chandra Shekhar government. Between 1994 and 1996, Swamy was Chairman of the Commission on Labour Standards and International Trade under former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao. Swamy was a long-time member of the Janata Party, serving as its president until 2013 when he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He has written on foreign affairs of India dealing largely with China, Pakistan and Israel. He was nominated to Rajya Sabha on 26 April 2016 for a six-year term, ending on 24 April 2022.

Mahavir Tyagi was a prominent Indian independence fighter and parliamentarian from Dehradun, Uttar Pradesh India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Indian National Congress</span>

The Indian National Congress was established when 72 representatives from all over the country met at Bombay in 1885. Prominent delegates included Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjee, Badruddin Tyabji, Pherozeshah Mehta, W. C. Banerjee, S. Ramaswami Mudaliar, S. Subramania Iyer, and Romesh Chunder Dutt. The Englishman Allan Octavian Hume, a former British civil servant, was one of the founding members of the Indian National Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10, Janpath</span> Government residence in New Delhi

12, Tughlaklane is a public-owned house on Tughlaklane, New Delhi. Currently, it serves as the residence of Sonia Gandhi, who has lived there since 1989, and her son Rahul Gandhi, who lived at 12, Tughlak Lane until April 2023.

Manikonda Chalapathi Rau was an Indian journalist and author who served as the Editor-in-chief of the English daily National Herald from 1946 to 1978. He is regarded as one of the greatest editors in the history of Indian journalism. He worked as an assistant editor of Hindustan Times early in his career and his weekly column under the pseudonym 'Magnus' was one of the most widely read in the country. During the independence struggle he was a part of the underground press movement. He was also the author of several books on Indian journalism, politics, and personalities. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award in 1968, but refused to accept it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nehru–Gandhi family</span> Indian political dynasty

The Nehru–Gandhi family is an Indian political family that has occupied a prominent place in the politics of India. The involvement of the family has traditionally revolved around the Indian National Congress, as various members have traditionally led the party. Three members of the family—Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi—have served as the prime minister of India, while several others have been members of parliament (MP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajeev Gowda</span> Indian academic and politician

Mothakapalli Venkatappa Rajeev Gowda is an Indian politician and academician. He is a former member of parliament in the Rajya Sabha and a national spokesperson for the Indian National Congress. He also currently serves as Chairman of the "Congress Research Department". He was Professor of Economics and Social Sciences and the Chairperson of the Centre for Public Policy at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and taught a range of courses. He served as the Director of the Central Board, Reserve Bank of India. He is currently the Advisor for Bridge India, a progressive non-profit think tank set up in London in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. Rama Rao</span>

Kotamaraju Rama Rao was an Indian journalist, editor, and freedom fighter. He was the first editor of National Herald, the English-language newspaper established by Jawaharlal Nehru. He was elected to the first Rajya Sabha as a Congress nominee from the undivided state of Madras in 1952. He was the first-ever advisor on 'Plan Publicity' to the Nehru government in 1956 and also served as a member of the Press Council of India and Vice-Chairman of Working Journalists Union.

Des Raj Goyal (1929-2013), also known as Desraj Goyal or D. R. Goyal, was an Indian journalist, academic and a well-known author of books on secularism and communalism. Having been a member of the Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in his younger days, he wrote a seminal book on the organisation in 1979, which is widely cited in academic works.

The National Herald case is the ongoing case in a Delhi court filed by Indian economist and politician Subramanian Swamy against politicians Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, their companies and associated persons. As per the complaint filed in the court of the Metropolitan Magistrate, Associated Journals Limited (AJL) took an interest-free loan of ₹90.25 crore (US$11 million) from Indian National Congress. It is alleged that the loan was not repaid. A closely held company, Young Indian, was incorporated in November 2010 with a paid up capital of 5 Lac and it acquired almost all the shareholding of AJL and all its properties. Swamy alleged criminal misappropriation by both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

<i>AJL-National Herald Panchkula land grab case</i>

AJL-National Herald Panchkula land grab scam case, allegedly against Bhupinder Singh Hooda currently in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, is under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED). This case pertains to Hooda's alleged role for misusing his position as then Chief Minister of Haryana to cause wrongful gains to the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and corresponding loss to the Government of Haryana, by illegally allotting a government plot of land worth several crores rupees (billions) to AJL for INR 59 lakh. Then Chief Minister, Hooda, was also the chairman of HUDA, a government entity which re-allotted the plot to AJL in 2005 in violations of rules and against the advice of the HUDA officials. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's BJP government of Haryana transferred the case to CBI, and CBI filed the FIR in April 2016. CBI booked Hooda for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating and misuse of official position by public servants. AJL, which also owns National Herald, is controlled by the Indian National Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi among others.

References

  1. 1 2 "Court dismisses Swamy's plea in National Herald case". The Hindu. 27 December 2016. Archived from the original on 15 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021– via www.thehindu.com.
  2. 1 2 "About Us | National Herald, the Associated Journals Ltd". Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  3. ↑ Subramanian, N. Sundaresha (16 December 2015). "National Herald's Indore owner says will join Swamy's case". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Rahul Gandhi In Bengaluru For Re-Launch Of National Herald". Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 Vadakut, Sidin (27 June 2014). "A Nehruvian tragedy". HT Mint. Archived from the original on 30 July 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Congress set to revive National Herald newspaper after 8-year break". Hindustan Times. 10 July 2016. Archived from the original on 15 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  7. ↑ Real estate at core of Associated Journals controversy, Live Mint, 14 November 2012, archived from the original on 11 December 2015, retrieved 13 May 2019
  8. ↑ What is the National Herald case all about?, India Today, 8 December 2015, archived from the original on 20 December 2015, retrieved 13 May 2019
  9. 1 2 Gupta, Smita; Jain, Akanksha (27 June 2014), "Delhi court summons Sonia, Rahul in National Herald case", The Hindu , archived from the original on 6 July 2014, retrieved 13 May 2019
  10. ↑ "How National Herald newspaper funds Rahul and Sonia Gandhi's Young Indian", Daily News and Analysis , New Delhi, 2 July 2014, archived from the original on 11 December 2015, retrieved 13 May 2019
  11. ↑ "A responsible press is needed to hold power to account in our open society: Vice President". pib.gov.in. Archived from the original on 15 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  12. 1 2 "National Herald shuts down after 70 years". Sify . Archived from the original on 31 October 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  13. ↑ Hasan, Mushirul (16 May 2012). "In another era, a wit that pulled no punches". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012.
  14. ↑ Rau, M. Chalapathi (1964). "The Press after Nehru" (PDF). Economic and Political Weekly (July): 1247–1250. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2014.
  15. ↑ Dayal, John (2007). A Matter of Equity: Freedom of Faith in Secular India. New Delhi: Anamika Publishers. p. 129. ISBN   9788179751770. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 "In Memorium M. Chalapathi Rau (1908 - 1983)". Archived from the original on 26 June 2014.
  17. ↑ Bhushan, Shashi (2008). Feroze Gandhi: A Political Biography. New Delhi: Frank Bros. p. 52. ISBN   9788184094947. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  18. ↑ General Knowledge Refresher. New Delhi: Bright Publications. p. 51. ISBN   9788171994717. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  19. ↑ "National Herald fights for survival". The Indian Express. 14 November 1998. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  20. ↑ "New look national herald all set for relaunch". Hindustan Times. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  21. ↑ "Nehru's paper, The National Herald, may close". Hindustan Times. 31 January 2008. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  22. ↑ Subramanian, N. Sundaresha (16 December 2015). "National Herald's Indore owner says will join Swamy's case". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  23. ↑ "National Herald may be revived through 'Young Indian'". Business Standard. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  24. ↑ "New look national herald all set for relaunch". Office of Adviser to Prime Minister. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  25. ↑ "National Herald newspaper eyes revival after four years of closure". NDTV Profit. 28 October 2012. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  26. ↑ "No plans to revive National Herald". The Pioneer. 11 October 2012. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012.
  27. ↑ Correspondent, Special. "Neelabh Mishra to be editor of National Herald". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2017.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  28. ↑ "Tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru- National Herald revived in digital form - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  29. ↑ "National Herald revival on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru birth anniversary". The Asian Age. 15 November 2016. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  30. ↑ Scroll Staff (July 2017). "President Pranab Mukherjee talks about spate of lynchings at National Herald event". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  31. ↑ "Section 269T in The Income- Tax Act, 1995", indiankanoon.org, archived from the original on 8 December 2015, retrieved 8 December 2015
  32. ↑ Rajagopal, Krishnadas (10 December 2015). "The nitty-gritty of 'The National Herald' case". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 13 December 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  33. ↑ "Deals at National Herald: Who got what, when, how". The Indian Express . 10 December 2015. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  34. ↑ "Rafale Row: Anil Ambani Sues National Herald for Rs 5k Crore". The Quint. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  35. ↑ "Anil Ambani Files Rs 5,000 Crore Defamation Suit Against 'National Herald'". Headlines Today. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.