Congress plans show of strength as Rahul to appear before ED today

New Delhi: The Congress is gearing up to demonstrate a political show of strength on Monday when the party leader Rahul Gandhi will appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.

Rahul Gandhi has been summoned to join the investigation on Monday. He was earlier summoned to join the investigation, but he was out of the country and later he was given a fresh date of June 13 to join the probe. Meanwhile, the ED has also issued a fresh summons to Sonia Gandhi asking her to appear on June 23 for questioning in connection with the National Herald money laundering case. According to sources, Congress MPs, and Congress Working Committee (CWC) members have also been asked to be present in Delhi on Monday. A meeting of All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretaries, State in-charges, and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs was called on Thursday to decide the strategy for the same.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore said that party workers will hold demonstrations at around 25 offices of the probe agency across the country against the political vendetta and the 'misuse' of the central investigative agencies by the central government to 'silence the voice of opposition'. Congress held press conferences across the country on Sunday over summons issued against party president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi by ED in the National Herald case.

A senior party leader said, "All the Members of Parliament have been asked to be present in the national capital on June 13, and they will also be marching towards the ED Office along with Rahul Gandhi. The meeting was called to discuss and take a view of the leaders across the country to take a final call on this as there is another view that along with Delhi, simultaneously, protests should be held in every state capital by the Pradesh Congress Committees."

The ED also questioned senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Treasurer Pawan Bansal in April this year in New Delhi in connection with its money laundering probe into the National Herald case.