New Delhi: Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi’s meeting with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on July 21, 2022, to be questioned in connection with a money laundering case linked to the ‘National Herald’ newspaper, turned into a show of strength, with party leaders and workers hitting the streets and courting arrests as part of the country-wide protests.

Expressing solidarity with the Congress President, leaders of 12 political parties (including the DMK, Shiv Sena and RJD) met at Parliament House and issued a joint statement accusing the Narendra Modi government of unleashing a “relentless campaign of vendetta against its political opponents and critics through the mischievous misuse of investigative agencies”. In Delhi, Congress MPs took out a symbolic march from Parliament to highlight the ‘Political Vendetta’ and ‘Misuse’ of central agencies against political rivals. “All Congress MPs and Congress Working Committee members have courted mass arrest outside our party headquarters in a show of collective solidarity with Smt. Sonia Gandhi; Accompanied by her children, Shri Rahul Gandhi and Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

It is a Political Vendetta Addressing the Media, AICC General Secretary In-charge Media & Communication Shri Jairam Ramesh said that the Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi was being questioned in the ED which ended at around 2.30 pm. According to a report, it was said that the Congress President had demanded from the ED to suspend the inquiry for today and the ED accepted the demand. This news is absolutely false, completely baseless. There is no fact in it and it is absolutely false. Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi left her residence for ED around 12 Noon and the interrogation started at 12:20 and in the beginning itself, the ED officials had informed that the interrogation would go on for about two hours. There would be a lunch break after that, following which, Smt. Sonia Gandhi would have to come back to the ED. All this happened at 12:20. Questioning started, questions were asked, they were answered and at around 2:20 when Congress President got ready to return home for lunch, the ED officials told her that there was no need for her to come back. The Congress President told the ED officers that she was ready to come back, was ready to answer all the questions they wanted to ask. No matter what the time be- 7 o’clock, 8 o’clock or 9 o’clock, she was ready to sit there, but it was told from the ED’s side that in the afternoon, the doctors of ED were not available and the next day, the ED would be busy with some court case. So, she was asked to send an email the following week and was told that they would fix a new date the following week. So, I want to categorically refute this news that the Congress President had demanded from the ED that for today she would be there for two or two and a half hours because she is a Covid patient and she would not be able to spend any more time with the ED today. This is absolutely wrong. Congress President had asked the ED officers to question. She was ready to come back in the evening, after 30 minutes, or after 45 minutes, but the ED did not want her to come back today and when she offered to be present there the next day,(because she herself wants this to end soon), she was denied on the pretext of them being busy with acourt case. She was told that they would fix a new date for the next week. So, maybe either on Monday or on Tuesday the next phase of questioning will begin.

So, my purpose of calling this press conference is unambiguously to refute the news that there was a demand from the Congress President that today’s questioning should end because she is a Covid patient. This is absolutely baseless, absolutely wrong and I have to say with great regret that this news is rumored. It is a fake one. I immediately denied it. I and all our MPs, we spent about 4 or may be 4 and a half hours today at Kingsway Camp police station and from there I have denied this news and I have called this press conference for those who were not there. The Congress President is ready to answer any question anytime.