Launching a scathing attack on the prime minister, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he is "not afraid of Narendra Modi" and will not be "intimidated" by the Enforcement Directorate action in the National Herald case.
His reaction came a day after the ED sealed the office of Young Indian in Herald House here, and the Delhi police briefly barricaded the party office and the residences of Rahul and Sonia Gandhi.
"These are attempts at intimidation. We will not be intimidated. We are not afraid of Narendra Modi," he told reporters outside Parliament. In his first response after the ED sealed the premises of Young Indian in the Congress-owned National Herald office, Gandhi said, "They may do whatever they want. It does not matter.
I will continue to work to protect the country and democracy and maintain harmony in the country. I will continue to do my work whatever they may do."
"Truth cannot be barricaded. Do whatever you want, I am not afraid of the Prime Minister, I will always work in the interest of the country. Listen and understand!" The former Congress chief said the BJP government thinks it can "silence us by putting some pressure on us"."We won't be silenced. We will stand against what Narendra Modi ji, Amit Shah ji are doing in this country, against democracy, no matter what they do," he said briefing media. Asked about the BJP assertion that it will not let them "run away" from the law, Rahul said, "Who is talking about running away? They are talking about running away."
Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson of AICC Jairam Ramesh raised the issue of summoning of Kharge by the ED, saying he was called by the probe agency when Parliament is in session and he left around 12:20 pm and presented himself. "This is Modishahi reaching new lows," Ramesh tweeted. Ramesh said Kharge underwent interrogation by ED.
Speaking to the media, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said that summoning of the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha by a probe agency during Parliamentary proceedings had never happened in the history of democracy.