Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday appeared before Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the National Herald case. Sonia Gandhi accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reached the ED office in the national capital. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also arrived at the ED office.
#WATCH | Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi arrives at ED office for questioning in National Herald case#Delhi pic.twitter.com/FLY1jWclld
— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2022
Earlier in the day, several Congress leaders were detained as the party put a show of strength by staging nationwide demonstrations in support of the party chief. Among those detained were senior leaders Shashi Tharoor, P Chidambaram. Followed by Ajay Maken, Sachin Pilot , Deepender Hooda, Jairam Ramesh , Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
It is wrong to summon two members of the same family over and over again, that too in connection with the same case. As for the arrest of people, it is not like they disrupted the law-and-order situation. Besides, we have the right to agitate, Said Senior Leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Congress leader in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge on protest said that they raising the issue of misuse of central probe agencies by the Centre.
Rajasthan | Congress workers in Jaipur protest against the ED questioning of party’s interim president Sonia Gandhi in National Herald case pic.twitter.com/ddSlIAnVOJ
— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) July 21, 2022
“They (ruling party) want to show how powerful they are. We’ve raised the issue of inflation in Parliament but they’re not ready for discussion. We are now raising the issue of misuse of central probe agencies,” Kharge.
Congress MP Deepender S Hooda said that they are protesting peacefully. “We are protesting peacefully. They cannot suppress our voice,” said Hooda.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who is also in Delhi slammed the probe and said that since Sonia Gandhi is over 70 years old, ED should have gone to her house for investigation.
Delhi | Congress MPs from Parliament head to party headquarters located at 24, Akbar Road, ahead of Sonia Gandhi’s appearance before ED in the National Herald case pic.twitter.com/oGJGfvEsPl
— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2022
Sachin Pilot , former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and PCC Chief told ANI, “There is misuse of agencies in the country… it’s our right to protest in a democracy, but it is also being crushed upon.”
“The kind of personality and aura she (Sonia Gandhi) has and since she is more than 70 years old, ED should have gone to her house for investigation. I want to meet the chief of ED and CBI and tell them what people are thinking about central agencies,” said Gehlot.
Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar said that there was no need to summon Sonia Gandhi.
“They are only harassing her. This is political vendetta. BJP is afraid of her. They want to mentally harass Congress leaders,” he said.
“The way ED is treating Sonia Gandhi, they’re trying to defame her. Govt is misusing central agencies against Congress,” said Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement Opposition parties, criticized the Central government for unleashing a “relentless vendetta against political opponents” through misuse of investigative agencies by targeting prominent leaders of various parties.
“The Modi Sarkar has unleashed a relentless campaign of vendetta against its political opponents and critics through the mischievous misuse of investigative agencies. Prominent leaders of a number of political parties have been deliberately targeted and subjected to harassment in an unprecedented manner,” the statement reads.
