Congress plans show of strength on Rahul’s ED date

NEW DELHI: While Congress president Sonia Gandhi could not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday as she still suffers from Covid-19, the party is planning a big show of strength during Rahul Gandhi’s scheduled appearance before the agency on June 13. Al senior party leaders and MPs have been asked to be present in Delhi on the day.

The Gandhis have been summoned by the ED for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper assets sale. The party has dubbed it “political vendetta” by the BJP government.

The Congress has called a meeting of all AICC general secretaries and state unit chiefs on Thursday to discuss the matter. “Several MPs and senior party leaders expressed their willingness to join Rahul Gandhi while he makes an appearance before ED on June 13,” said a source.

The party wants it to make a big show and use the opportunity to attack the Centre over targeting of Opposition leaders through investigating agencies. In April, the agency had questioned senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Pawan Bansal as part of the investigation in the National Herald case.