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.
