Why Congress sent legal notice to government over Rahul Gandhi’s ED questioning

As Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi attended the interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the third consecutive day, his party has sent a legal notice to the government which alleges that the media is being fed incorrect information to misreport how Gandhi is handling his questioning.

The legal notice, that was sent by the Congress on Wednesday, cites three reports on news channels to make its point. The reports alleges that these channels claimed, based on unnamed sources, that Rahul Gandhi, accused of money-laundering, is being “evasive” during his sessions with interrogators and “appears to be tutored by his lawyers.”

Also read: Enforcement Directorate questions Rahul Gandhi on Day 2: All you need to know

Rahul Gandhi has clocked more than 25 hours of questioning by the ED after it summoned him alleging that with his mother, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, he formed a shell company to gain illegal control of property worth $300 million that was owned by a newspaper founded in 1937 by India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who was Rahul Gandhi’s great grandfather.

Also read: Why India’s Enforcement Directorate stays mired in political controversy?

The notice sent by the Congress to Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman accuses the government of using the ED for political vendetta. It further argues that the alleged “leaks” to the media are being used to further the government’s agenda.

Also read: Congress vow show of strength as ED question Rahul Gandhi for over 10 hours

“We will fight undeterred, we will fight fearlessly,” the Congress spokesman, Randeep Singh Surjewala, has said. 

On Wednesday morning, there were new clashes between the police and Congress workers who were demonstrating against Rahul Gandhi’s interrogation ahead of his 11 am arrival at the Enforcement Directorate.

Also read: National Herald case: Why are the Gandhis accused of graft

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot was detained on Wednesday amid huge protests. Rajasthan Congress MLA Mukesh Bhakar posted a video on Twitter of the detention where Pilot’s supporters can be seen arguing with the police but he eventually agrees to get on the police bus amid supportive sloganeering by Congress workers.