Senior Congress leaders, workers march in solidarity, hold protests
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in a money laundering probe linked to the National Herald newspaper, was asked to appear before it again on Tuesday, officials said. They said the questioning on Monday continued well past 9 pm.
Rahul reached the agency’s headquarters, accompanied by party leaders and a large number of supporters, around 11am. He was questioned for almost 20 minutes in the first round of questioning. Rahul was allowed by the ED to leave for lunch around 2 pm and he returned for the questioning around 3.30 pm.
Sources said Rahul wrote down his statement under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) during the first round of questioning.
When Rahul left the Congress headquarters he was accompanied by party leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
Priyanka sat with Rahul in a vehicle as the convoy of seven SUVs, escorted by armed CRPF personnel, entered the ED office on APJ Abdul Kalam Road. The probe pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the party-promoted Young Indian that owns the National Herald newspaper. The National Herald is published by the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian Pvt Limited.
At a Press conference later in the day, the Congress said the 1937-established AJL faced huge debts and the party during 2002-11, gave `90 crore to the National Herald to pay the salaries of the journalists and staffers who worked there.
The agency has already questioned senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal in April as part of the investigation. The questioning of the senior Congress leaders and the Gandhis is part of the ED’s investigation to understand the share holding pattern, financial transactions and role of the promoters of Young Indian and AJL, officials had said.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul are among the promoters and shareholders of Young Indian.
Prominent among those detained during the protest march on way to ED office with Rahul were Bhupesh Baghel, Randeep Surjewala, K C Venugopal and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
This is the first time that Rahul appeared before a Central probe agency for questioning in a case.
Raising slogans in support of Rahul, Congress workers started a march towards the ED office. They were stopped by the police which had put up barricades all around the AICC office.
Some Congress workers also mounted barricades. A large number of workers were taken in preventive custody for violating
the provisions of Section 144 CrPC banning assembly of more than four persons, which was imposed in central Delhi.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Baghel claimed that he has been arrested. “I have been arrested....You should ask the Delhi Police why I have been arrested,” he told reporters outside the ED office.
“This is a dictatorship. Several Congress workers have been detained because they wanted to carry out a peaceful march. I am also being detained. This is unprecedented that Congress workers were not allowed to enter the Congress headquarters. If there is no FIR and how can ED summon him,” Baghel said.
The police, however, clarified that he is being detained and not
arrested as he refused to leave despite several warnings.
Kharge accused the Government of misusing agencies. “They are misusing agencies and they are harassing people,” he said later at a Press conference at AICC headquarters.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Rahul had done nothing wrong and alleged that “Godse’s descendants fear from the truth and they will not be able to suppress truth”.
He said the Congress had launched a satyagrah during the freedom struggle and the BJP cannot teach them satyagrah.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Gehlot also alleged that the Government was misusing central probe agencies and this was nothing but “political vendetta”.
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said, “This is a fight for democracy. The Government is trying to muzzle the voices of politicians who are trying to raise their voices.”
He alleged that the ED had earlier cleared the name of Rahul and asked why he is being targeted now. “Now satyagraha will take place at every corner and nook,” he said.
Newly-elected Rajya Sabha MP Ranjeeta Ranjan said, “Why is the Government not allowing us to carry out a peaceful protest?”
She said the party who has been serving the nation for decades is not allowed to carry out a peaceful protest.
“This is a dictatorship. You had to apologise to five countries over an action of a spokeswoman and we cannot ever carry out a rally,” she said referring to the controversy over the remarks against Prophet Mohammad.