New DelhiAfter questioning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for nearly 11 hours on Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday again summoned him for questioning in the National Herald case. Amidst all this, the main opposition Congress continued its protest and accused the BJP of conspiring to defame the Gandhi family through a “false” case.
51-year-old Gandhi, who was questioned for more than 10 hours a day ago, arrived at the ED headquarters at APJ Abdul Kalam Road in central Delhi on Tuesday along with his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and was questioned at 11:30 am. Started at ,
After a session of about four hours, Gandhi took a break of about an hour at around 3.30 pm and went home. He again joined the questioning around 4.30 pm. Gandhi left the Enforcement Directorate (ED) headquarters at around 11.30 pm.
The former Congress president left the federal agency’s office at 11.10 pm on Monday after several sessions of questioning and recording his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
His statement was recorded over several sessions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and after Tuesday’s exercise, he has been questioned for nearly 21 hours by ED investigators. He has been called again for questioning on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi joined senior party leaders in a “dharna” at the Congress headquarters, where Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh chief ministers, Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party MPs were also present.
Top Congress leaders in custody
Hundreds of Congress leaders and supporters were detained outside the party headquarters at 24, Akbar Road and central Delhi as they tried to protest against the ED’s action for the second day.
The Delhi Police said on Tuesday it detained 217 Congress workers and leaders, including 15 MPs, from New Delhi district for protesting despite being in violation of prohibitory orders and denied permission. They were later released, a police officer said.
Protest drama by Congress: BJP
The BJP hit out at the opposition party, saying it was blocking roads to show its “leaders are above the law” and termed the protest a “drama”. BJP’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “When legal action is being taken in a corruption case, the Congress is pretending and blocking the roads. This shows that the party considers its leaders above the law. Is.”
Union Minister Anurag Thakur also took a dig at the ED’s questioning of Rahul Gandhi after the Congress leader criticized the Prime Minister’s decision to provide 10 lakh government jobs in the next 18 months. The BJP leader told reporters, ‘I will only ask Rahul ji that you first give a correct answer to the ED on the serious allegations of corruption against you.
BJP’s conspiracy to defame Gandhi family: Congress
The Congress, however, accused the BJP of conspiring to defame the Gandhi family and the party through a “false” money laundering case being run by the Enforcement Directorate. Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala claimed that the Center is scared of Gandhi’s politics as he is raising public issues.
“This whole exercise is illegal, unconstitutional, malicious and an exercise by a prime minister who is burning in the fire of political vendetta,” Surjewala told a press conference here. The Congress had alleged that the police manhandled its leaders during Monday’s protest as they were trying to reach the ED office.
Large scale barricading in Delhi
All roads leading to the agency’s office were closed to the public on Tuesday as prohibitory orders were imposed and barricades were put up. A large number of police personnel, including the Central Anti-Riot Police Force (RAF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), were deployed. KC Venugopal and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were among the party leaders who were detained for violating prohibitory orders outside the party office on Akbar Road.
Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore said he and some other leaders, including PL Punia, were not allowed to enter the Congress office and were detained at Mandir Marg police station.
Other detained leaders include Randeep Surjewala, Jairam Ramesh, Gaurav Gogoi, Deepender Singh Hooda, Ranjit Ranjan, JB Mather, Imran Pratapgarhi, Youth Congress chief BV Srinivas and National Students Union of India (NSUI) chief Neeraj Kundan. Even beat him up.
Venugopal said this was nothing but “political vendetta” by the Modi government, which was trying to defame the Congress leadership through “false cases”.
“They can imprison us but they cannot imprison the truth. The fight for truth will continue,” he said. Officials said Gandhi has been called again on June 15 as interrogation and recording of statements are taking a long time. While agency sources said Gandhi recorded his statement and scrutinized his transcript, Congress leaders claimed that investigators took several breaks during his interrogation on Monday.
The investigating officer in the case, an assistant director-rank ED officer, is expected to continue inquiries related to the incorporation of Young Indian Company, operations of the National Herald newspaper, loans given by Congress to AJL and funds. Transfer within the news media establishment.
National Herald money laundering case
The probe pertains to alleged financial irregularities in Congress-promoted Young Indian Pvt Ltd, which owns the National Herald. The newspaper is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and is owned by Young Indian.
Gandhi’s mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who is currently admitted in a hospital here due to issues related to Kovid, has also been called by the agency for questioning in the matter on June 23.
This is the first time that a member of the First Family of Congress is being questioned in a criminal case. The ED had questioned Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra a few years ago in a money laundering case related to the alleged land scam in Rajasthan.
The Congress has accused the Center of misusing investigative agencies to target opposition leaders. Putting forth its version, the party has said that the AJL, founded in 1937, faced huge debt and the Congress had to pay the National Herald newspaper from 2002 to 2011, 90 crores to pay the salaries of journalists and employees working there. Gave Rs. ,
The ED had questioned senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal in April as part of its probe. Kharge has claimed that he gave “evidence” to the agency while recording his statement.
Officials had said that the questioning of senior Congress leaders and the Gandhi family was part of the ED’s probe to understand the shareholding pattern, financial transactions and role of promoters of Young Indian and AJL.
The ED had recently registered a fresh case under criminal provisions of the PMLA after a trial court here took cognizance of an Income Tax Department investigation against Young Indian based on a private criminal complaint filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013. Had taken.
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and shareholders of Young Indian. Swamy had accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others of conspiracy to commit fraud and misappropriation of funds, in which Young Indian obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore by paying only Rs 50 lakh, which AJL had to pay. Congress was owed.
In February last year, the Delhi High Court issued notice to the Gandhi family for its response to Swamy’s plea, seeking to produce evidence in the case before the trial court. The Gandhi family had secured separate bail in 2015 after furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and one surety.
However, he had argued in the High Court that Swamy’s plea was “wrong and premature”.
The other accused in the case filed by Swamy are Suman Dubey, a close aide of the Gandhi family and technocrat Sam Pitroda. Both have denied any wrongdoing.
(with agency input)