Before Rahul Gandhi's ED questioning, Congress's ‘glow and lovely scheme’ dig

Congress's Ajay Maken said that the cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate were an attempt to silence the opposition.

Of the Enforcement Directorate's 5,422 current active cases, 5,310 cases were filed during the last eight years of the Modi government, the Congress's Ajay Maken claimed on Monday morning ahead of Rahul Gandhi's fresh round of questioning by the probe agency in the National Herald case. As Congress prepares to hit the streets against the centre yet again, Ajay Maken stepped up criticism of the Delhi Police after the party alleged attack on its headquarters last week.

Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to appear before the ED for questioning on Monday. 

"I don't know if any party has been attacked the way the Congress headquarters was attacked. Rahul Gandhi has been questioned for more than 30 hours. This is just to silence the party and him - because we represent the voices of labourers, farmers and the downtrodden," he claimed. "Only 112 of the Enforcement Directorate's active cases were filed before the Modi government came to power. You can see the sort of pressure they're trying to create."

Taking a swipe at the ruling party, Ajay Maken called said the ED was implementing "glow and lovely scheme", linking it to a popular beauty product that later changed its name. "The ED and CBI have kept a box of this "glow and lovely" crème and they clearly tell leaders to stop criticising the government. Then their slate is clean." Yet again taking examples of Maharashtra leader Narayan Rane, and former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa among others, he said the probe agencies were being misused.

"A notice has been sent by our party to Nirmala Sitharaman, Amit Shah and Kiren Rijiju over the selective leak by the ED to media. We have suggested that the agency can go ahead and live telecast the questioning. We have cited the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) section - in the note - that does not allow the selective leakage of the information".

Rahul Gandhi's questioning - in the National Herald case - will continue on Monday. He was questioned last week for three consecutive days. The case pertains to the allegations of misappropriation of funds by the party-backed Young Indians Private Limited's takeover of the Associated Journals Ltd that publishes the National Herald newspaper.

Sonia Gandhi, who is recovering from Covid, is set to be questioned on June 23.