National Herald case: Congress leaders stage protest in Hyderabad

While Congress President Sonia Gandhi was being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in National Herald case, Telangana Congress leaders staged a protest at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

While Congress President Sonia Gandhi was being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case in the national capital, Telangana Congress leaders staged a protest at Gandhi Bhavan Congress Party office in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

Youth Congress leaders tried to seize the ED Zonal office in Basheerbagh area of Hyderabad and raised slogans against PM Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, the Youth Congress leaders were stopped by the police and later they were detained and shifted to Goshamal headquarters in Hyderabad.

Telangana Pradesh Mahila Congress President Sunitha Rao, and Telangana Pradesh Youth Congress President Shiva Sena Reddy were among the prominent leaders present in the protests.

"@INCTelangana TPMC President @SunithaRao_M set out protests across the state over defaming @INCIndia by BJP party's suppression policy in the name of ED Enquiry on AICC president Sonia Gandhi ju and @RahulGandhi ji @MahilaCongress," tweeted Telangana Pradesh Mahila Congress on Tuesday evening.

"Youth Congress presidents @ShivaSenaIYC and activists besieged ED office under Telangana Youth Congress to protest against ED issuance of illegal notices against AICC President Sonia Gandhi and illegal arrest of Rahul Gandhi," tweeted Telangana Pradesh Mahila Congress on Tuesday evening.

The visuals of the protests have surfaced in the media and #SatyagrahaWithSoniaGandhi was trending on Twitter.

Sonia Gandhi's second round of questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case brought Congress leaders and workers to the streets earlier today. The Congress chief, 75, was questioned for almost six hours today and asked her to appear again tomorrow in connection with the alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-supported Young Indian Private Ltd, which owns the National Herald newspaper.

Condemning the agency's action, Congress called it a "political vendetta". In the national capital, the Delhi Police made a massive deployment and cordoned off the lane from Sonia Gandhi's residence to the ED office to prevent a law and order situation. Restrictions were imposed on the movement of traffic in the area.

In Delhi, Rahul Gandhi and Congress MPs gathered at the Vijay Chowk to march to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to draw the President's attention to the alleged misuse of central agencies by the government when they were stopped by the police.

"I am not going anywhere. We wanted to go towards the President's house. But the police are not allowing us," Rahul Gandhi had said. The police tried to handle the situation and stopped their actions.