Agencies do their job, says govt as Cong alleges vendetta after ED summons to its leaders

With the Congress accusing it of unleashing central agencies to target political rivals after the party's top leaders were summoned by the ED in a money-laundering case, the government on Wednesday said the agencies do their job and the opposition should not worry if they have done no wrong.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her MP son Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday for questioning in a money-laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper. Responding to a question on allegations by the Congress that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using agencies to target political opponents, Thakur said, ''Government agencies do their job.'' Addressing a cabinet briefing, the minister said the issue has nothing to do with cabinet decisions.

Culture and Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy questioned why the two Congress leaders were worried when they have done no wrong.

''I think that they should not worry if they have done nothing wrong,'' he said on the sidelines of an event in Delhi.

The Congress said it is not afraid of any summons by the ED in the National Herald case and will not be cowed down by any such ''vendetta'' by the BJP government.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the Modi government should know that by registering such fake and fabricated cases, they cannot succeed in their cowardly conspiracy.

While Sonia Gandhi has been asked to depose before the federal agency at its headquarters in central Delhi on June 8, Rahul Gandhi has been asked to appear on Thursday (June 2).

Singhvi told at a press conference here that Sonia Gandhi will comply with the summons.

Rahul Gandhi has written to the probe agency to postpone the date to after June 5 as he is not in the country, Singhvi and another Congress leader Randeep Surjewala told reporters.