The Congress on Tuesday escalated its attack on the Centre and questioned the Narendra Modi-led government over the “harassment” of Rahul Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged National Herald money laundering case. Gandhi appeared before the central agency today in Delhi, the fifth time in the past one week.
The party claimed that the former Congress president is being questioned for raising his voice against the government, and also as an act to divert attention from the Centre’s new Agnipath scheme in the defence sector, which has received backlash from youths across the country.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi claimed that the Centre is trying to divert people’s attention from their “half-baked” Agnipath scheme.
He said that the Centre is using their method of “distraction, digression and deceit”, and “hounding” Rahul Gandhi.
“He has been called to distract the nation’s attention…to make sure the issues that deserve attention, such Agnipath, price rise and unemployment, remain camouflaged and hidden. Rahul Gandhi has been a consistent unwavering voice against the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Modi sarkar, and therefore this harassment is an act of utter revenge, retribution, retaliation, reprisal and reverberation,” Singhvi said.
BJP spokesperson Tom Vadakkan opposed the grand old party’s claims and said, “This is surprising. Even before the Agnipath’s announcement, Rahul Gandhi was summoned by the ED… Now they are trying to cover up for Gandhi through this Agnipath issue.”
In the name of ‘satyagraha’, the “fake Gandhis” are causing destruction around the country by burning buses and trains, Vadakkan alleged.
Gandhi, the sitting Wayanad Lok Sabha MP, is being questioned by the ED over the alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, the owner of the National Herald newspaper.
Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi has also been summoned by the ED on Thursday in connection with the case.
Congress has repeatedly accused the Centre of targeting opposition leaders by misusing investigative agencies, calling the actions “political vendetta”.