ED reduced to ‘enforced directives’ by Narendra Modi government: Congress

Amid the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) questioning of Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in connection with the alleged National Herald money laundering case, the party on Thursday said that the central investigative agency has been reduced to taking “enforced directives” from the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.

“The ED has been reduced to taking enforced directives from the Modi government… The questioning of Rahul Gandhi by the ED over the last few days is a clear case of attempt to malign his reputation and a mere political stunt. When their (BJP’s) incompetence has started to show across the spectrum, the party has yet again resorted to cheap tricks,” Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh alleged during a press conference today.

The ED is questioning Rahul Gandhi over the alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, the holding company of the National Herald newspaper. Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi too has been summoned by the ED in connection with the case. The ‘grand old party’ has repeatedly accused the Centre of targeting opposition leaders by “misusing” investigative agencies for “political vendetta”.

Vallabh also mentioned the recently withdrawn claim of Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Electricity Board chairman MMC Ferdinando, who had alleged before a parliamentary panel that Prime Minister Narendra Modi influenced Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to hand over a wind power project to Gujarat’s Adani Group.

Raising eyebrows on the contended claims, Vallabh asked, “Why did Modi ji hamper India’s pride by acting as a sales agent for a private individual? Why are ED and other agencies sleeping on this information?”

BJP spokespersons were not available for comments.

Rahul Gandhi, the sitting Wayanad MP, has appeared before the ED in the National Herald case five times in the past one week.