West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday wished Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi an “early recovery”, hours after the Congress leader was admitted to a hospital in Delhi due to Covid-19 related issues. The chief minister said that she was praying for Gandhi’s early “return to public life”.
“Just learnt that senior Congress leader Mrs Sonia Gandhi has been hospitalized due to covid. All of us pray for her early recovery and return to public life soon. May God bless you, Soniaji. Regards (sic),” Mamata Banerjee wrote on Twitter.
Gandhi was admitted to the Ganga Ram Hospital for treatment of virus-related issues earlier in the day. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said Gandhi is “stable” and will be kept “under observation” at the hospital, while thanking all Congress workers and well-wishers for their “good wishes”.
{{/usCountry}}Gandhi was admitted to the Ganga Ram Hospital for treatment of virus-related issues earlier in the day. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said Gandhi is “stable” and will be kept “under observation” at the hospital, while thanking all Congress workers and well-wishers for their “good wishes”.
{{/usCountry}}A day ago, Banerjee wrote to Gandhi and 21 other leaders of the Opposition, inviting them to a joint meeting in Delhi on the upcoming Presidential election.
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On Friday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued fresh summons to Sonia Gandhi asking her to appear before it for questioning on June 23 in a money laundering case in connection with the National Herald newspaper.
Earlier, the Congress interim president was asked to appear before the ED on June 8, however, she tested positive for Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to appear before the ED on June 13 in connection with the money laundering case. Reportedly, the Congress is preparing to put up a show of strength on Monday with a big event, in order to convey its political message to the BJP government.
Rahul was initially asked to appear before the agency on June 2, however, he had sought a fresh date as he was out of the country. The federal agency later asked him to appear on June 13 at its headquarters in the national capital.
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The ED questioning is in relation to the alleged misappropriation of assets of over ₹2,000 crore in an equity transaction in the party-promoted Young Indian - which owns the National Herald newspaper. The paper is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian Pvt Limited.
The ED has been probing AJL and the role of various Congress leaders since 2016 - after it took cognizance of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case since it cannot act on its own.
According to the agency officials, they want to record the statements of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).