Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to appear before the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case on Monday. He has already faced three rounds of questioning by the agency. Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal says the government is trying to intimidate Mr. Gandhi but he won’t be. Edited excerpts.
The Congress has suddenly become active, and some observers have pointed out that such energy as it has shown when the Gandhi family is in trouble is not visible when it comes to raising issues of public concern?
It is sad that a section of the media is only interested in weakening the principal Opposition and giving a free pass to the government. For the sake of our democracy, the media should be holding the government accountable and strengthening the Opposition, but that is a separate point. Congress has been, and remains, at the forefront of raising issues that concern the people — price rise, atrocities against weaker sections, the harmful farm laws, erosion of federalism — I can go on. Who mobilised on Hathras (where a Dalit girl was raped and killed)? As we speak, today we are supporting the youth of this country who are betrayed by the government’s misguided recruitment plan for the armed forces, and asking them to protest peacefully. The government is responsible for the violence that they have been pushed into. We are planning a bharat jodo yatra in October. We are standing with the people, and mobilising them against a dictatorial government. In fact, Rahulji is being targeted by the Enforcement Directorate for standing with the people of India with courage and fortitude. The government hopes that he can be silenced through intimidation. But they should know that he is not intimidated. He is steely in his resolve to fight this barbaric regime to its end.
Why are you protesting against the ED investigation?
Unfair and fabricated as the case is, we are not protesting against the investigation. That is yet another distortion by a section of the media that has become the amplifier of government propaganda. On the first day, a few of us [party leaders] wanted to accompany Rahulji to the ED office until any permissible point, as an act of solidarity. Instead of allowing us to do that, the Delhi police began roughing us up. The next day, the protest was against this police high-handedness. They barged into the headquarters of the party, roughed up senior leaders like P. Chidambaram, women leader like Jothimani. I was also assaulted. This kind of suppression of the Opposition only proves our point that this government is authoritarian.
Do you fear that Mr. Gandhi may be arrested by the ED on Monday?
They can do whatever they want to do. They can arrest him, send him to jail. Mr. Rahulji is not sacred. He is not intimidated. They can send all of us to jail. We know that truth will prevail. Truth is that this is a fabricated case. The transactions they talk about are between not-for-profit entities. There is no benefit that Mr. Rahulji or Soniaji has made from any of these transactions. This was run of the mill restructuring that companies do; there is no crime, no FIR. In 2015, under the Narendra Modi government, the ED had concluded that there was no case to be made out. Now they have raked it up, hoping that Rahulji will be scared. How mistaken they are!
The first opportunity that the Congress had to demonstrate its seriousness about declarations made at the Udaipur Chintan Shivir was the nominations for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats recently. But the party has already gone back on many of those decisions, it appears...?
The very selection of delegates for the Udaipur conclave, where 50% were below the age of 50, 22% were women, was instructive of how resolute we are in going about with fundamental, structural changes in the organisation, according to the changing times. We need transformation and we are determined to achieve that. We are in the process of organisational elections, and once that is over, you will see from top to bottom the party will reflect the true picture of a young country.
We will have an organisation with a proper balance in terms of social groups, gender and age. We have revamped our communication team and are in the process of building a new communication strategy. As for the RS tickets, you have to appreciate the fact that we are the oldest party in the country, and we have to ensure that the best minds in the party are brought to the upper house, within the very limited number of seats we have currently.
Will Rahul Gandhi be elected party President?
When Rahul Gandhi resigned as the President in 2019, he said the party should elect someone from outside the family. Around 300 of the top leaders of the party deliberated over his suggestion at length and decided to request Soniaji to take over as interim president. As of today, she is the president of the party, is taking decisions, and listening to workers and intervening in political issues, even as we speak, even from her hospital bed. As for Rahulji you will know soon, as we have to complete the election process by September. What is true is the fact that Congress workers at all levels, want him to become the President of the party.
