National Herald case: Congress accuses Centre of misusing ED, holds protests in Patna

Hundreds of Congress workers thronged the streets of Patna on Wednesday to protest against the Central government, accusing it of falsely implicating the top leadership of the Indian National Congress out of political vendetta.

During the protest, Congress leaders burned an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raised thunderous slogans against him.

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Addressing the gathering, speakers said that the refusal of the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi to take cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Congress leaders, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, in the National Herald case proved their point.

Leading the protest march, Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram said, “The court’s refusal to take cognisance of the chargesheets filed by the ED against both leaders in a money laundering case proves that the ED was trying to harass them. The BJP government is pushing the case forward with a spirit of political revenge.”

The Congress leader further stated that the Supreme Court had recently said that the ED must function within the bounds of the law. He also pointed out that the conviction rate in cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) is less than 10 per cent.

“This case is being raised repeatedly only to defame the Gandhi family at the BJP’s behest and to tarnish the image of the Congress in the country. The court’s refusal to take cognisance in this matter puts a question mark on the ED’s credibility,” he said.

“We demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government refrain from using constitutional institutions against Opposition parties out of political malice and apologise to the nation,” he added.