By PTI
NEW DELHI: With Rahul Gandhi set to appear before the Enforcement Directorate on June 13 in a money laundering case, the Congress on Thursday decided that all its top leaders and MPs would take out a protest march to the agency headquarters here and stage a “satyagrah” against what the party called its “misuse” by the central government.
Congress leaders in states will also take out marches to the agency offices in their respective states and will stage “satyagrah” on Monday, party sources said.
The protest plan was finalised at a virtual meeting of the party’s state unit presidents and general secretaries and in-charges of various states that was convened by general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal.
“Congress leaders will sit in ‘satyagrah’ in front of all ED offices across India against the misuse of ED by PM Modi,” a senior party leader said after the meeting.
He said in Delhi, all the Congress MPs and Congress Working Committee (CWC) members will march to the ED office against its “misuse” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Congress is preparing for a major show of strength in the national capital on June 13 when former party chief Gandhi is scheduled to appear before the agency in connection with a money laundering case pertaining to the National Herald-AJL deal.
Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore tweeted, “I will join and march towards ED office in Delhi. No FIR. Bogus case to malign a honest leader. 9 AM 13th June. Join in Delhi or join Congress satyagrah in front of ED office in your state.”
The Congress has termed the charges “fake and baseless” and added the summonses to Rahul Gandhi and party president Sonia Gandhi was part of the BJP’s “vendetta politics”.
The party had put up a similar show of strength earlier when the Gandhis appeared in a court after they were summoned in a related case.
The Congress on Wednesday had said its leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi would appear before the ED as they had nothing to hide from the probe agency, and that the BJP should learn lessons from it.
Sonia Gandhi was asked to appear before the ED on Wednesday, but she had sought time from the agency as she was recovering from the coronavirus infection.
The Congress president tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier been summoned to appear before the agency on June 2 but he sought a fresh date as he was abroad at the time.
The case pertains to the probe into the alleged financial irregularities in the party-promoted Young Indian that owns the National Herald newspaper.
The paper is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian Pvt Limited.
Officials said the agency wanted to record the statements of the Gandhis under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
