Maha Congress protests outside ED offices to show solidarity with Rahul Gandhi; criticises Central govt

The Maharashtra Congress on Monday staged protests outside the Enforcement Directorates offices in Mumbai and other cities over the summons issued to party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in a money laundering case, leading to the detention of state ministers Nitin Raut and Vijay Waddetiwar along with several Congress workers.

The Maharashtra Congress on Monday staged protests outside the Enforcement Directorate's offices in Mumbai and other cities over the summons issued to party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in a money laundering case, leading to the detention of state ministers Nitin Raut and Vijay Waddetiwar along with several Congress workers. Rahul Gandhi on Monday appeared before the ED in Delhi for questioning in the case linked to the National Herald-AJL deal. In south Mumbai, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, and Mumbai Congress president Bhai Jagtap led a protest march from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to the ED office against the Central government for ''trying to silence the opposition'' by sending ED notices to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Public Works Minister Ashok Chavan, Medical Education Minister Amit Deshmukh, Fisheries Minister Aslam Sheikh, School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad, and other state party leaders joined the protest march.

Talking to reporters, Patole said be it Rahul or Sonia Gandhi, the Nehru-Gandhi family has only contributed to the country from the freedom struggle to the nation-building after Independence.

''Targeting this family and tarnishing its image by calling them before the ED office...not only Congressmen, but even the common man stands behind the Gandhi family,'' Patole said.

''We protested against this oppressive government outside the ED office,'' he said. In Nagpur city, Congress leaders and workers marched to the ED's office in the Seminary Hills area and staged a huge demonstration to express solidarity with Rahul Gandhi.

During the protest, police detained ministers Nitin Raut and Vijay Waddetiwar along with several Congress workers when they tried to enter the premises of the ED office. The party workers said they would intensify the protest in case of any action by the ED against Gandhi.

The party legislators and workers in other parts of Vidarbha also staged protests.

Such protests will continue till the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, some of the party leaders said. ''The arbitrary and arrogant Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is using the central investigation agencies to silence the opposition. The Congress party was never and will never be intimidated by such actions,'' Patole added.