Congress protests across country as Rahul Gandhi questioned by ED

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday, June 13, questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a money laundering probe linked to the National Herald newspaper, an occasion for the party to galvanise its workers with protests rolled out in many cities. Tempers rose as the day progressed with scenes of slogan shouting, Congress workers jumping barricades and resisting attempts by police to detain them. Slogans such as “down down BJP”, and “we want justice” rang out in cities such as Bengaluru, Jammu, Dehradun and Jaipur.
As hundreds of Congress workers across India took to the streets and several senior leaders, including Randeep Surjewala and KC Venugopal, were detained in a massive show of strength, Rahul Gandhi was inside the ED office in Delhi in what is the first time he has appeared before a central probe agency for questioning.
Accompanied by a battery of leaders and escorted by armed CRPF personnel, the 51-year-old went from the party headquarters in Akbar Road to the ED office in central Delhi a few km away in a convoy of seven cars around 11.10 am.
In the national capital, the lane leading to the ED office was barricaded and prohibitory orders under CrPC section 144 were imposed in the area by the Delhi Police even as anti-riots police RAF and CRPF contingents took positions to stop unauthorised people from entering.
The party staged a massive protest in Hyderabad as well, with vehicular traffic thrown out of the gear as hundreds of party leaders marched to the regional ED office at Basheerbagh. The massive rally led by the party’s state President A Revanth Reddy began from Necklace Road on the banks of Hussain Sagar. Wearing black scarves, holding party flags and raising slogans against the Union government, the protestors marched to Basheerbagh via NTR Marg, Secretariat, Telugu Talli flyover, and Liberty.
The Karnataka police took opposition leader Siddaramaiah and state Congress president DK Shivakumar into custody after they tried to lay siege to the Bengaluru office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) along with hundreds of Congress workers. The party workers began the protest in front of the Lal Bagh Gate and took out a protest march to the ED office. Along with Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, the police also detained Opposition leader in the Legislative Council BK Hariprasad, senior leaders MB Patil, Eshwar Khandre, Salim Ahmad and others.
The Maharashtra Congress staged protests outside the Enforcement Directorate’s office in Mumbai. In Haryana, police briefly detained several Haryana Congress MLAs and workers when they tried to take out a protest march to the ED office. The party’s Punjab unit, led by its chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, also held a protest near the ED office in Jalandhar. The Congress will continue to fight against the BJP’s “dictatorial and vindictive politics,” Warring said.
In Chandigarh, Congress legislators Raghuvir Singh Kadian, Geeta Bhukkal, Varun Chaudhary, Jagbir Malik and Aftab Ahmed among others, led by Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan, gathered at the party’s state headquarters in Sector 9 to take out a protest march.
In Jammu too, a number of Congress leaders and workers including Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president G A Mir were detained after they staged a sit-in and tried to take out a march. Hundreds of Congress workers led by Mir assembled outside party headquarters at Shaheedi Chowk in the heart of the city and staged a sit-in before starting a march which was, however, foiled by the police by barricading the main Residency Road, officials said. Leaders were also taken into custody in Lucknow. Protests were additionally held in Jaipur, 
After about two-and-a-half hours in the morning, Rahul Gandhi left the ED office for a lunch break. His questioning is expected to go on till evening, officials said. The former Congress president, a Z+ category protectee of the CRPF after the Union government withdrew the Gandhi family’s SPG cover in 2019, is expected to write down his statement, they said.
The ED is recording the statement of the Lok Sabha member from Wayanad in Kerala under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The probe is related to alleged financial irregularities in the party-promoted Young Indian that owns the National Herald newspaper, published by the Associated Journals Limited (AJL).
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and shareholders of Young Indian. 
“The Congress party will fight this oppression by the Modi government,” Indian Youth Congress President Srinivas BV told PTI near the ED office. “We are not scared. The Modi government should be ashamed that they have turned central Delhi into a fortress just because our leader is going to the ED with his supporters,” he said just before he was detained by the police.
A host of Congress leaders spoke out on the alleged harassment. Rajasthan Chief Minister Gehlot also alleged that the government was misusing central probe agencies and this was nothing but “political vendetta”. 
“This is a fight for democracy. The government is trying to muzzle the voices of politicians who are trying to raise their voices,” added former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat.  “Now, a satyagraha will take place at every corner, he added.
Surjewala said Congress leaders had done nothing wrong and alleged that “Godse’s descendants fear from the truth and they will not be able to suppress truth”.
The ED recently registered a fresh case under the criminal provisions of the PMLA after a trial court took cognisance of an Income Tax Department probe against Young Indian Pvt Ltd on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.
Swamy 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.