Politics

Sonia Gandhi’s ED Appearance Updates: Congress Prez Questioned for 2 Hours; Party Workers Protest in Delhi, Punjab, Assam

July 21, 2022
Bharat Times

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, who was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to join the investigation in connection with the National Herald case, was on Thursday questioned for almost two hours. In the morning, she left for the ED Headquarters with her daughter Priyanka Gandhi.

Meanwhile, Congress had planned nationwide protests against Gandhi’s questioning.

Major updates:

• In Karnataka, a car was set on fire allegedly by Youth Congress workers, in front of the ED office at Shantinagar in Bengaluru earlier today.

• Leaders of 13 political parties met at Parliament House and condemned the ED action against Gandhi. Leaders of the Congress, DMK, CPI-M, CPI, IUML, NC, TRS, MDMK, NCP, VCK, Shiv Sena, RJD and RSP were present at the meeting. “Prominent leaders of several political parties have been deliberately targeted and subjected to harassment in an unprecedented manner,” the leaders charged in a joint statement. “We condemn this and resolve to continue and intensify our collective fight against the anti-people, anti-farmer, anti-Constitution policies of the Modi ‘sarkar’ that is destroying the social fabric of our society,” they also said in the statement.

• Several non-Congress Opposition leaders expressed support for Gandhi and slammed the Centre for targeting political opponents. “I strongly condemn the attitude of ED to humiliate political leaders. The officers of ED should have gone to her residence even if they had questions to ask of Sonia Gandhi,” Opposition’s presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha said on Twitter.

• Police use water cannons to disperse Congress workers and leaders as they protested in Chandigarh over Gandhi’s questioning.

• Sonia Gandhi has taken a break for lunch amid questioning.

• A clash-like situation has broken out in Guwahati where Congress workers are protesting against Sonia’s questioning. Meanwhile, police used water cannons to disperse the protesting crowd in Delhi.

• Congress leaders Sachin Pilot, Jairam Ramesh and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have been detained amid the Congress protests.

• Sonia, Priyanka, leave for ED office:

• Priyanka Gandhi is set to accompany Sonia for her questioning at the ED office due to the leader’s ill health. Priyanka had earlier requested the agency to be present in the room while Sonia is being questioned, but the ED has denied that particular request, saying that Priyanka will be in a separate room while the Congress president is being questioned.

• Congress MPs protest in Parliament against the Central government over the questioning of party president Sonia Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate.

• Delhi Police has set up barricades outside AICC headquarters in New Delhi where senior Congress leaders and party lawmakers will gather to protest. The Congress lawmakers are also scheduled to hold a meeting at Congress Parliament Party office at 10:45 am. Check out routes to avoid in view of the protest

• The Congress on Thursday slammed the Modi government for “misusing” probe agencies against opposition leaders and staged protests against the Enforcement Directorate’s summons to Sonia Gandhi. Senior Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the ED action of calling Sonia Gandhi for questioning, and said the probe agency should first hold a press conference to spell out under what charges she is being probed. “I condemn the ED action of calling Sonia Gandhi for questioning,” he told reporters at a press conference. “The ED should have gone to her residence to take her responses to their questions,” he said, citing past precedents, adding that this is being done to harass her.

• The Congress had earlier held a series of protests upon Rahul Gandhi’s ED appearance as well, which had led to the arrest of some workers. Sonia will be questioned by a team of joint director level official including a woman. According to reports, she will be asked the same set of questions which were asked to Rahul Gandhi during his five-day questioning. Her questioning, which was scheduled to take place on June 23, was postponed on her request as she was not well. As per the sources, the ED would ask Sonia Gandhi about her role in the deal between Young India (YI) and Associated Journal Ltd (AJL).

(With PTI inputs)

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