Congress leaders have come out against the Union Government for using Central agencies against party president Sonia Gandhi and leader Rahul Gandhi with an intent to tarnish their image.
Addressing a joint press conference at PCC office on Thursday, former Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy, Member of Parliament V. Vaithilingam and PCC chief A.V. Subramanian said the BJP government at the Centre was using Enforcement Directorate in the case involving National Herald newspaper to malign the Gandhi family.
Mr. Narayanasamy said the ED had issued summons in a case with no money involved. The officials of ED, he said, were functioning as per the dictate of the BJP leadership.
Since the BJP came to power at the Centre, the Central agencies were used to settle political scores with the opposition leaders. He cited the cases registered by the agencies against family members of NCP chief Sharad Pawar and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Mr. Vaithilingam said the move by ED was aimed at stifling the voice of the Gandhi family ahead of the next Parliamentary elections. “The Chintan Shivir of Congress party at Udaipur has rattled the BJP and somehow they wanted to give party leadership some trouble ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls,” he said.
Speaking on the decision of Bihar government to conduct Caste-based census, Mr. Narayanasamy said the previous Congress government headed by him had in 2019 decided to hold such a census in the Union Territory. But, the move was objected by former Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi.
He urged the NDA government in the Union Territory to renew the efforts for undertaking Caste census.
