New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday was questioned for over eight hours by the Enforcement Directorate for the second consecutive day in the National Herald money-laundering case, reported PTI.
Gandhi, 51, who was quizzed for over 10 hours on Monday, arrived at the ED headquarters on APJ Abdul Kalam Road in central Delhi accompanied by his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and his questioning began at 11:30 am.
After a session of about four hours, Gandhi took a break for about an hour at around 3:30 pm and went home. He rejoined the questioning around 4:30 pm and was still at the ED office at 8.30 pm.
Meanwhile, several Congress leaders, including K C Venugopal and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, were detained for violating prohibitory orders outside the heavily barricaded party headquarters on Tuesday, day two of Rahul Gandhi being questioned by the ED.
Among those detained were Gaurav Gogoi, Deepender Singh Hooda, Ranjeet Ranjan, Manickam Tagore and Imran Pratapgarhi. This is the second day of the Congress' protests against the questioning of Rahul Gandhi by the ED in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper. Gandhi was questioned for over 10 hours on Monday. Congress has said it will not be cowed down by intimidatory tactics of arrests or "false" cases against its top leaders.
Latest Developments from the Big Story:
- Delhi | Congress leader Rahul Gandhi returns to Enforcement Directorate for the fourth round of questioning
- Senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, Deepender Singh Hooda, Ranjeet Ranjan, Imran Pratapgarhi & others were taken into police custody; being taken to Tughlak Road Police Station.
- "No one can imagine the pressure from govt on Delhi Police. We can manage with Sec 144, but you can't stop us from coming into AICC office. Situation in the country is very serious. People coming on roads on Ram Navami and Friday namaz", Rajasthan CM & Congress leader Ashok Gehlot.
- The Congress today also staged a massive protest against the questioning of Rahul Gandhi by the ED. However, the Delhi Police has detained several party leaders including Randeep Singh Surjewala as they protest outside the AICC office.
तानाशाही हुकूमत देखना है जोर कितना तुम्हारी सलाखों में है..
— Congress (@INCIndia) June 14, 2022
कांग्रेस कार्यकर्ताओं की गिरफ्तारियां भी हौसले को नहीं तोड़ पाएंगी।
लगातार दूसरे दिन पुलिसिया अत्याचार जारी, मगर ये संघर्ष जारी है, जारी रहेगा।#राहुल_का_सत्याग्रह pic.twitter.com/mIbB4rm5DP
- Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday morning reached the ED office for questioning in the National Herald Case. Prior to this, the former Congress president, accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi, reached AICC Headquarters where hundreds of Congress supporters welcomed them.
- The Delhi Police has put up barricades at the Akbar Road in Delhi and has also imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in the area ahead of Rahul Gandhi's questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald Case.
- The Delhi Traffic Police has also issued a travel advisory for the commuters in wake of the proposed protest march by Congress leaders against Rahul Gandhi's questioning by ED.
Kindly avoid Motilal Nehru Marg, Akbar Road, Janpath & Man Singh Road between 0700 hrs & 1200 hrs. Due to special arrangements traffic movement will not be possible on these roads.
— Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) June 12, 2022
- Congress leaders and workers have staged protests holding placards at AICC headquarters in New Delhi over the summons on Monday. Various leaders including Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot took part in the party's Satyagraha march to the ED Office. Several leaders including Gehlot, KC Venugopal, P Chidambaram, Mallikarjun Khagre were detained by the police yesterday.
#Congress leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, KC Venugopal detained by police, taken to Tughlaq Road PS. Party's Deepender S Hooda, Ashok Gehlot also detained & taken to Fatehpur PS
— Jagran English (@JagranEnglish) June 13, 2022
LIVE UPDATES📺https://t.co/nwHFqresk6 pic.twitter.com/EU9Ib4LBDl
- Following the day-long protest, the Congress party said that senior leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram suffered a fracture in his left rib after he was pushed away by Delhi Police during the party's protest in support of Rahul Gandhi. "When three big, burly policemen crash into you, you are lucky to get away with a suspected hairline crack! Doctors have said that if there is a hairline crack, it will heal by itself in about 10 days. I am fine and I will go about my work tomorrow," Chidambaram tweeted.
When three big, burly policemen crash into you, you are lucky to get away with a suspected hairline crack!
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) June 13, 2022
Doctors have said that if there is a hairline crack, it will heal by itself in about 10 days
I am fine and I will go about my work tomorrow
- Speaking on the matter on Monday, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who is also in Delhi to extend support to Gandhi, said, "This kind of behaviour is not good. People will not like it. Nobody should have any objection if the law will take its own course. But we object to the misuse of ED, CBI and IT that is being done."
- Union Minister Anurag Thakur hit back at Congress, saying that the country now knows Congress party supports corruption. "Congress's real face has come to light. Why is Rahul Gandhi scared? If he's not done anything wrong, he should let ED do its job. Would the law change for 1 party and 1 family? The country now knows Congress party supports corruption," he said.
- Rahul Gandhi, the 51-year-old politician, who entered the headquarters of the federal probe agency in central Delhi around 11 am after starting from the Congress office on Akbar Road, was accompanied by a large group of party leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel.
#WATCH | Congress leader #RahulGandhi surrounded by hundreds of party workers marches to the Enforcement Directorate office to appear before the agency in the National Herald case
— Jagran English (@JagranEnglish) June 13, 2022
📽️ANI
LIVE UPDATES📺https://t.co/fJF0EaBTkf pic.twitter.com/sToGOtuEuM
- He is being questioned by an Assistant Director level officer-- the investigating officer of the case--supervised by a Deputy Director and a Joint Director. Another officer is learnt to be typing Rahul Gandhi's statement which is being recorded under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
- The probe is related to alleged financial irregularities in the party-promoted Young Indian that owns the National Herald newspaper, published by the Associated Journals Limited (AJL). Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and shareholders of Young Indian.