Congress leaders to march to the Enforcement Directorate on day of Rahul’s summons

State units to undertake a satyagraha in front of ED offices in their respective States

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. File | Photo Credit: PTI

Members of Parliament and Congress Working Committee (CWC) members will march to the Enforcement Directorate office in Delhi on June 13, the day when former party chief Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to appear before it regarding an alleged money laundering case.

Party workers will undertake a satyagraha in front of ED offices in their respective States.

Mr. Gandhi has been summoned for questioning in the National Herald case.

The strategy for the party’s response was decided at a virtual meeting of All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretaries, leaders in charge of States and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs on June 9. The meeting was presided by general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal.

AICC’s Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore tweeted, “I will join and march towards @dir_ed office in Delhi. No FIR. Bogus case to malign an honest leader. 9 a.m. 13th June . Join in Delhi or join Congress satyagraha in front of ED office in your State.”

Earlier, he had claimed that the ED has got instructions to “insult” Mr. Gandhi when he appeared before them on June 13.

Both Mr. Gandhi and his mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had been summoned by the ED in a money laundering involving the National Herald, as the agency wants to record their statements under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Ms. Gandhi couldn’t appear on June 8 after testing COVID-19 positive and has sought about three or four weeks’ time.

The case to investigate alleged financial irregularities under PMLA was registered about nine months ago after a trial court took cognisance of an Income Tax Department probe that was carried out on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by former BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.

Mr. Swamy had approached the court alleging that the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) — that published the National Herald newspaper — were fraudulently acquired and transferred to Young Indian, in which Ms. Gandhi and her son son owned 38% shares each.

Young Indian paid ₹50 lakh to the Congress for transferring the ₹90-crore debt to it, the complaint said.

The Congress argued that Young Indian was a not-for-profit company under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956, and that it can neither accumulate profits nor pay dividends to its shareholders.