New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been summoned by the ED on June 15, the third day in a row, for questioning in the National Herald money-laundering case, officials said on Tuesday. The questioning on Tuesday, the second day of his appearance before the probe agency in the money-laundering case, continued well past 9 pm at the end of which Rahul was asked to reappear on Wednesday.
The 51-year-old former Congress chief, officials said, has been called again as the questioning and the recording of a statement are taking a long time. Gandhi arrived at the ED headquarters, accompanied by his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and his questioning began at 11:30 am. After a session of about four hours, he took a break for about an hour at around 3:30 pm and went home. He rejoined the questioning around 4:30 pm.
Also read: Cong leaders detained as protests over Rahul's questioning by ED continue for second day
The party has alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was “misusing” the investigating agencies against the opposition. Surjewala has been kept in Mandir Marg police station. A Congress leader said that a total of 459 party leaders and workers have been detained by the Delhi Police “at the behest of Home Minister Amit Shah”. The MP from Wayanad in Kerala spent over 10 hours at the federal agency's office on Monday, where he was questioned and his statement was recorded.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that it is “beyond comprehension how much pressure the police administration here is facing from the government”. “Let the law take its course, if section 144 is imposed, you can take into custody, but you cannot stop the party from coming to the office, democracy is being murdered,” he said.
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala and Youth Congress president Srinivas BV, among others, were rounded up and made to board police buses. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel told reporters after meeting the Gandhi siblings at the Congress headquarters that there is "no money laundering in the National Herald case and the central agencies are acting at the behest of the government".
