Rahul Gandhi to appear before ED today, Cong to hold nationwide protests

The party has said Congress workers will hold peaceful protests across the nation against the government's "vendetta politics" in targeting Rahul Gandhi

Congress has announced a nationwide strike on Monday as party leader Rahul Gandhi will appear before the Enforcement Directorate again, for the fourth time, for questioning in a money laundering case related to the National Herald probe. The investigation agency had last week extended the summon to Monday after Gandhi's request owing to the hospitalisation of Sonia Gandhi, who is recovering from Covid-19 infection. 

Thousands of Congress workers from across the nation are expected to join the protest as a party delegation will meet President Ram Nath Kovind to discuss the alleged manhandling and harassment by the Delhi Police of the party MPs. The Congress MPs have been protesting on the streets of the national capital against ED's summon to Rahul Gandhi, who has been questioned for almost 30 hours in three consecutive days. The Delhi police had imposed prohibitory orders in the central part of the city and several Congress leaders were detained last week for violating the restrictions.

The party has said Congress workers will hold peaceful protests across the nation against the government’s “vendetta politics" in targeting Gandhi.

"Tomorrow lakhs of Congress workers across the country will continue peaceful protests against the anti-youth Agnipath scheme and against Modi government's vendetta politics targeting its MP Rahul Gandhi," party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter. 

Congress said that their protest will also be in support of young demonstrators, who have been protesting for a few days against the Centre's Agnipath scheme and have called for a Bharat Bandh on Monday. 

"We'll sit on Satyagraha at Jantar Mantar today and in the evening at 5 pm we'lll meet the President and demand that Agnipath scheme be withdrawn. The scheme should first be discussed with youth and in Parliament, but before that, it should be withdrawn", Congress' Ajay Maken said.

Gandhi on Sunday hit out at PM Narendra Modi-central government over ongoing protests and said that the Centre has forced the youth to walk on ‘Agnipath’ of unemployment by repeatedly giving false hope of jobs. The party had also held a 'Satyagraha' on Sunday, in support of Agnipath protesters.