‘Does home ministry…’: Tharoor slams Centre over high security for Cong protest

The Congress undertook a 'satyagraha' protest across the country as Rahul Gandhi was quizzed by the central agency in the National Herald case.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday slammed the Centre and the Delhi Police over the stringent security arrangements during the Congress protest on a day Rahul Gandhi appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

"This kind of police bandobast for a political party dharna of MPs, not rioters?! One would think there was no more important work for Delhi Police to do! Or does the Home Ministry think that freedom of assembly is for cops, not citizens, in our democracy?" Tharoor tweeted.

The Congress undertook a 'satyagraha' protest across the country as Rahul Gandhi was quizzed by the central agency in the National Herald case.

Earlier, the Delhi Police had denied permission to the Congress protest citing law and order situation. But the Congress workers continued to stage protest.

After reaching the Congress headquarter, Rahul Gandhi along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra marched to the ED office. The protests intensified with several Congress leaders including KC Venugopal, Harish Rawat and Ashok Gehlot were detained by the Delhi Police.

“Today, the way the peaceful march of the Congress party is being stopped, this dictatorship is being watched by the whole country. The Congress headquarters have been cordoned off, police have been deployed all around, and leader-workers are being detained. I have also been detained along with my associates while going to the ED office,” Gehlot tweeted as Gandhi reached the ED office.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has called the Congress protest a 'fake satyagraha', with union minister Smriti Irani accusing the grand old party of pressurising the central agency to protect the assets of the Gandhi family.