Punjab Cong holds 'satyagraha' against ED's questioning of Sonia Gandhi

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring called it an unprecedented move in the history of democratic India, and added that the ruling party is not only trying to stifle the voice of opposition but wants to completely finish it off.The BJP leaders have been saying quite often that they want Congress-mukt Bharat, which is an authoritarian thinking, he said, adding, that no matter how much they try, Congress will emerge stronger.

The Punjab Congress on Tuesday held a 'satyagraha' here, against the Enforcement Directorate's questioning of party president Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case. According to officials, the ED recorded Gandhi's statement for about 2.5 hours on Tuesday, the second day of her questioning in the case related to the alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the newspaper. Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring called it an unprecedented move in the history of democratic India, and added that the ruling party is not only trying to ''stifle'' the voice of opposition but wants to completely ''finish it off''.

''The BJP leaders have been saying quite often that they want 'Congress-mukt Bharat', which is an authoritarian thinking,'' he said, adding, that no matter how much they try, Congress will emerge stronger. He said the Congress party has strong ideological fundamentals and it has made immense contributions and sacrifices, first during the independence struggle and then in post-independent India.

He pointed out that earlier party leader Rahul Gandhi was questioned for five days, for as long as 12 to 15 hours every day, and now the ED was repeatedly summoning Sonia Gandhi with the clear aim of ''harassment'' as they know that nothing is to come out of it as nothing has happened. Warring also lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab which, he said, was following the same script as that of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.

He pointed out how the AAP government in Punjab has started targeting its political opponents on the pretext of acting against ''fake and bogus'' complaints. Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa said it is unfortunate that the BJP government was ''misusing'' various agencies to settle scores with its political opponents.

Political battles should be fought politically, he added. PTI CHS VSD RDT RDT