Why is the ED grilling Rahul Gandhi?

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was questioned for over nine hours by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in a money-laundering probe linked to the National Herald newspaper. He has been summoned to appear before the central agency on Tuesday too.

Gandhi arrived at the ED office on Monday accompanied by several Congress leaders including his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Hundreds of Congress workers in Delhi and other parts of the country took to the streets in protests.

The ED is recording the statement of Gandhi under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

WHAT IS THE CASE?

• The probe is related to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian company that owns the National Herald newspaper, published by the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), reported PTI.

• The Congress party said in a press conference in the morning that all fund movements in this case were legitimate.

• The questioning of the senior Congress leaders and the Gandhis is part of the investigation to understand the shareholding pattern, financial transactions and role of the promoters of Young Indian and AJL, ED officials said.

• BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013 had accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds with Young Indian Pvt Ltd paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd owed to the Congress, reported PTI.

• The ED recently registered a fresh case after a trial court took cognisance of an income-tax department probe criminal complaint filed by Swamy.

PROTESTS BY CONGRESS WORKERS

• Several Congress leaders including Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Randeep Surjewala and KC Venugopal were detained as the party called for a 'Satyagraha march'.
• At around 11am, Rahul Gandhi arrived at the ED office, amid zindabad chants. Police lathicharged the protesters and Congress leaders Adhir Chowdhury and Harish Rawat were dragged out from the protest site.

श्री @RahulGandhi जी कांग्रेस मुख्यालय पर वरिष्ठ नेताओं और कार्यकर्ताओं के साथ।

मोदी सरकार की तानाशाही के विरुद्ध कांग्रेस एकजुट होकर लड़ाई लड़ेगी।

ना डरे हैं, ना डरेंगे, हम लड़ाई लड़ेंगे।#राहुल_का_सत्याग्रह pic.twitter.com/5RPGZvfDel

— Congress (@INCIndia) June 14, 2022

• As many as 459 Congress leaders and workers were detained and later released. This included 15 Lok Sabha MPs, 11 Rajya Sabha MPs, reported India Today.
• 'Even the British could not suppress the voice of Congress during the freedom struggle, then how can this ruling government?' said Randeep Singh Surjewala.

मोदी सरकार बर्बरता की हर हद पार कर गई।

पूर्व गृह मंत्री, श्री पी.चिदंबरम के साथ पुलिस की धक्कामुक्की हुई, चश्मा ज़मीन पर फेंका, उनकी बायीं पसलियों में हेयरलाइन फ्रैक्चर है।

सांसद प्रमोद तिवाड़ी को सड़क पर फेंका गया। सिर में चोट और पसली में फ्रैक्चर है।

क्या यह प्रजातंत्र है? pic.twitter.com/rRLOhIOTJ3

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) June 13, 2022

• Congress accused Delhi Police of manhandling senior party leaders. Surjewala accused the cops of ‘brutalising’ its leaders. Chidambaram said he suffered a 'suspected hairline crack' during protests, reported India Today.

BJP HITS BACK

• The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back at the Congress, accusing its leaders of putting pressure on the ED, supporting corruption and protecting the alleged assets worth Rs 2,000 crore of the Gandhi family, reported PTI.
• BJP leader and Union minister Smriti Irani claimed that never before such a blatant attempt was made by a political family to hold a probe agency to ransom to protect its 'ill-gotten' assets.
• Union minister Anurag Thakur hit back at Congress, saying that the country now knows the Congress party supports corruption, reported ANI.

आख़िरकार राहुल गांधी को किस बात का भय सताता है?

क्या एक परिवार और एक पार्टी के लिए अलग क़ानून बनेगा?

देश भर में कांग्रेस कार्यकर्ताओं से प्रदर्शन करवा कर जाँच एजेंसियों पर दबाव क्यों?

क्या पूरी कांग्रेस एक परिवार के भ्रष्टाचार को छुपाने तक ही सीमित रह गई है? pic.twitter.com/Jx13H2kltC

— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) June 13, 2022

• “Congress’s real face has come to light. Why is Rahul Gandhi scared? If he’s not done anything wrong, he should let ED do its job. Would the law change for 1 party and 1 family? The country now knows the Congress party supports corruption,” he said.