The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday summoned Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.
While Sonia Gandhi has been asked to depose before the federal agency at its headquarters in central Delhi on June 8, Rahul Gandhi has been asked to appear tomorrow (June 2).
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi told at a press conference that Sonia Gandhi will comply with the summons.
Rahul Gandhi, 51, has written to the probe agency to postpone the date to after June 5 as he is not in the country, Singhvi and another Congress leader Randeep Surjewala told reporters.
Slamming the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress said it is not afraid of any summons by the ED and will not be cowed down by any such "vendetta" by the Centre.
"The Modi government should know that by registering such fake and fabricated cases, they cannot succeed in their cowardly conspiracy," Singhvi told reporters.
Neither will the EC be able to stop the National Herald, the voice of the freedom movement, nor will it be able to scare Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, he said.
"The Congress leadership is fearless and ready to present itself before the probe agency. We will not be afraid of such tactics, we will not bow down, but we will fight hard legally, socially and politically," Singhvi added.
Surjewala said under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the entire party and its workers would stand shoulder to shoulder with them, and "we will fight and win this attack on the country's democracy".
The two Congress leaders said the main mantra of the newspaper which became the "voice of the freedom movement" was: "Freedom is in danger, protect it with all your might." "Today again, the ideology supporting the British rule is conspiring to suppress the 'voice of the freedom movement'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is at the head of this conspiracy, and his 'favourite and pet weapon' to implement it is the ED," Surjewala claimed.
He said the summons have been issued to mislead the country as the Modi government specialises in the politics of diverting issues and has been blinded by the feeling of revenge.
Meanwhile, reacting to the ED summons to the Gandhis, BJP chief JP Nadda said there are documents to prove the case.
"Have you ever seen a criminal say I'm criminal? They'll(Sonia-Rahul Gandhi)of course deny it. Documents are proof. If chargesheet is filed, you'd approach court to get it quashed, but they sought bail. It means they're guilty," Nadda said.
"Government agencies do their work," said Union Minister Anurag Thakur.
(With PTI inputs)
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