Calling the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) summons to Congress president Sonia Gandhi an example of “vendetta politics” of the Narendra Modi government, the Congress declared that it would hold country-wide protests, on Thursday, when Ms. Gandhi appears before the central agency.
"Tomorrow as the political vendetta unleashed by the Modi-Shah duo against our top leadership continues, the entire Congress party across the country will demonstrate its collective solidarity with Smt. Sonia Gandhi in a most telling manner," party general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh tweeted.
On Wednesday evening, top party leaders including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, general secretary K.C. Venugopal, along with MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, gathered at the residence of Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, to chalk out a plan strategy.
Top leaders including MPs will converge for the protests at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters, and Mr. Gehlot will address the media at 10a.m.
Separately, Mr. Kharge will convene a meeting of the leaders of other Opposition parties to coordinate floor strategy in Parliament.
After attempting to march to ED office, party MPs will meet at the Congress Parliamentary Party office, before creating an uproar inside the House when Parliament starts at 11.00 a.m.
Separately, Delhi Congress will stage a protest march outside Raj Bhawan here.
Ms. Gandhi, sources said, has been briefed on various aspects of the National Herald case by Senior Advocate and Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Singhvi, on Wednesday morning.
Similar protests were organised when former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was also summoned by the ED, in connection with a money-laundering case related to National Herald-AJL case.
Delhi Police have already put up barricades around the Congress office on Akbar Road, anticipating a repeat of the protests, and have issued traffic advisory as well.
