Congress leaders, in a meeting on Wednesday, decided to protest across the country against the BJP-led Central Government on July 21, the day Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in National Herald case.
Another significant meeting has been called by the party today (on Thursday), where all the general secretaries, state in-charges and PCC chiefs will discuss ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and other organisational programs.
In the meeting, top leaders will discuss the protest march and other public outreach programmes.
With the Monsoon Session of Parliament starting from July 18, the Congress MPs will also take the opportunity to protest inside the Parliament premises.
Talking to ANI after the meeting, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Congress President Sonia Gandhi is a tigress. She is not afraid of these things. She has seen so many things like this. She will go to the ED office and face this Government.”
The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi for questioning in connection with the National Herald case in which senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Bansal has already been questioned.
Besides them, ED questioned former Congress President and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi last month in June in the case for more than five days and during that time also Congress Party leaders and workers protested against ED and BJP-led Centre for indulging in ‘vendetta politics.’
The party workers and leaders also protested the “brutal” action by Delhi police officials who manhandled many party activists and allegedly entered the Congress headquarters in Delhi forcefully.
According to sources, the party has also prepared pamphlets to be distributed among the public on the National Herald case.
Today’s meeting was attended by the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress General Secretary Organisation KC Venugopal, AICC Treasurer Pawan Bansal, AICC General Secretary Mukul Wasnik, Ajay Maken, Randeep Surjewala, Bhawar Jitendra Singh and Rajya Sabha MP and AICC in-charge of Delhi Shaktisinh Gohil.
Official sources said that Sonia Gandhi has been asked to appear before the investigators at its headquarters here around 11 am on July 21.
Fresh summons were issued to Sonia Gandhi as she could not appear before its investigators on June 8 in the case for the first time in connection with a money laundering case involving the National Herald as she was infected with COVID-19 and was hospitalised.
The ED wants to record both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi’s statements under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED last month questioned Rahul Gandhi on several occasions in the case.
With inputs from NDTV
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