ED’s summons to Rahul baseless: Chidambaram

With Rahul Gandhi appearing before the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said the summons to the former party chief was “baseless” and added that the ED appears to have jurisdiction over the BJP. Not till. Member or for the states ruled by the saffron party.

In an interview with PTI, Chidambaram also said that every effort should be made to create unity among the opposition parties in the upcoming presidential elections.

Asked about the Congress’s decision to show power when Rahul and Sonia Gandhi were summoned by the ED and to appear before the probe agency on Monday, Chidambaram said, “I speak as a Congress member and a lawyer. ED Has summoned Mr. Rahul Gandhi is baseless under PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act).”

Stating that the offense of money laundering requires ‘money laundering’ and ‘money laundering’, the former home minister told the National Herald that in debt-to-equity conversion, something that lending banks do on a regular basis , there was no transaction. of money.

So how can money laundering happen, he asked.

“It is like accusing a person of the offense of ‘purse snatching’ when there was no purse and no one was snatching it,” he argued.

Chidambaram said party leaders as Congress members would express solidarity with Rahul Gandhi and march with him to the ED office on Monday.

Responding to the government’s argument that agencies do their job and the opposition should not worry if they have not done anything wrong, Chidambaram said as far as the ED is ‘doing its job’ concerned “It appears that the jurisdiction of the ED does not extend to members of the BJP or to the states ruled by the BJP!”

Asked about the opposition’s allegations that agencies like ED and CBI are being used against it, he said the “selective action” of the investigating agencies has created doubts in the minds of the opposition parties.

“I won’t say anything more,” he said.

With Rahul Gandhi appearing before the Enforcement Directorate on June 13 in a money laundering case related to the National Herald-Associated Journals Ltd deal, the Congress has decided that all its top leaders and MPs will take out a protest march. Here the agency headquarters and staged a “satyagraha” against the “misuse” of the party by the central government.

Congress leaders in the states will also take out marches to agency offices in their respective states and conduct “satyagraha” on Monday.

Asked about the outrage and condemnation from several Muslim-majority countries over the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammed and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have intervened when the remarks were made, Chidambaram said, “Certainly Yes, the Prime Minister should have spoken and acted immediately after the objectionable statements made by the two (BJP) spokespersons.”

“The silence of the prime minister is shocking, but in line with his silence on previous occasions. It is sad that the government gave a deaf ear when opposition parties, civil society leaders, writers, scholars and ordinary citizens called on the government to end Islamophobia. , but were shocked when 16 countries protested against the statements,” he said.

Should Indian Muslims look abroad to stop Islamophobia, Chidambaram asked.

On the ongoing protests over the issue in various parts of the country, Chidambaram said the government – and the BJP behind the government – have been exposed as “tough” to uphold secularism.

“I read that Sadhvi Pragya has spoken in support of Nupur Sharma. The silence of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, the voices within the BJP in support of the spokespersons and the bureaucratic response to the vehement protests from 16 foreign countries all tell the BJP’s position. ,” said Chidambaram.

He said that this is not a new situation, it can be traced from the writings of RSS leaders.

“Naturally, I am concerned about the disturbance in the society. It is the responsibility of the government to reassure minorities and restore peace,” Chidambaram said.

On the ongoing debate on the need for blasphemy laws in the country, he said the country has enough laws to deal with blasphemy and there is no need for a new law.

“Under BJP governments, laws are implemented with an evil eye and unequal hands,” he alleged.

Asked whether the Congress has been accused of promoting ‘soft Hindutva’ in the past and whether the party needs to take an aggressive stand on minorities issues, Chidambaram rubbished his party’s suggestions for soft Hindutva And said that the official position, resolve and statements of the Congress have never deviated from its commitment to secularism.

“The Congress need not be aggressive or defensive. We have to stick to the declaration in the Constitution that India will be a secular country,” he said.

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