From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday seized the lunch break to rush to the Gangaram Hospital here to brief his mother Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the first round of questions posed to him in the interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate officials in the National Herald case and returned to its office for the second round of interrogation. Sonia Gandhi is in hospital since Sunday afternoon for treatment of the Covid-19 complications and she is now better.
Except for summons to both to be present in the ED office for questioning on the alleged money laundering in the case, so far the Congress had no clue on the issues for which they are summoned. Rahul is reported to have asked the officials to serve him a proper notice with issues to enable him to respond.
The strategy is that once the issues are known, the Congress sources said the ED malafide actions can be challenged in the court as its leaders are being harassed with a motivated case without any substance. They said the ED would have registered an FIR if it had any solid case.
The first round of interrogations were carried out by two top officials of the Enforcement Directorate, a deputy director and an assistant director. The exercise is video-taped and a copy of the recorded statement shall be handed over to Rahul at the end of the interrogations, the ED sources said.
A high political drama enacted at the AICC headquarters barricaded by Delhi Police and a score of Congress leaders and workers detained. Hundreds of the party leaders and workers, however, braved the police action to accompany Rahul to the ED office situated about a km away on the India Gate roundabout. Priyanka Gandhi walked with him. She was not detained but many other senior party leaders and functionaries were detained near the ED office for violation of the prohibitory orders clamped there under Section 144 of the CrPC.
Those, who accompanied Rahul, were on a protest “Satyagrah” against the Modi Government’s attempt to falsely implicate the top leadership of the Congress. They included all important leaders who count in the Congress, including two chief ministers, two former chief ministers, national functionaries and a large number of the party MPs.
Hundreds of the Congress leaders have been arrested not only in Delhi but also in Mumbai and Bengaluru on a call given by the party for the national “satyagrah.” As Congress chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala underlined, this is a Gandhian “satyagrah” of a new revolution against the coward Narendra Modi taking cover of ED and Police alike the Britishers before the Independence to brow beat the Congress fighting against the forces defeating the Constitution.
“The coward Modi government is frightened of the voice of the truth. Its election management department (ED) has challenged the Truth. The truth does not require any cover. Neither can it be suppressed nor can it be falsified,” Surjewala said, asserting the peaceful and Gandhian “satyagrah” march will take place under Rahul’s leadership, a “satyagrah” which neither the Britishers nor their informers who have today captured the power.
He said the Congress leaders will march to the ED office, alongwith Rahul, and he will answer every question based on truth in the “court of lies.” He added that this is the Congress resolve and the path shown to it by Mahatma Gandhi.
