Hyderabad: Congress leaders and ministers held a protest in front of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Hyderabad on Thursday. They were opposing the charge sheet filed against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in a money laundering case related to the National Herald.
The protest was led by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President and MLC Mahesh Kumar Goud, following directions from the party’s national leadership. Many key Congress leaders took part, including AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, AICC Secretary Viswanathan, and several ministers and MLAs. A large number of party workers also joined the demonstration.
Mahesh Kumar Goud said that the BJP was acting out of fear after the recent success of the Congress meeting in Gujarat. He claimed that the BJP was using government agencies to damage Rahul Gandhi’s reputation.
BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the BJP was unfairly targeting the Gandhi family, which had given a lot to the country. He accused the BJP government of misusing the CBI and ED for political revenge. He added that the Congress would continue to hold protests across the country and that the people would support the Gandhi family.
Meenakshi Natarajan said that after Rahul Gandhi told Prime Minister Modi that Congress aimed to defeat the BJP in the Gujarat elections, the government started using political pressure. She also claimed that during the recent Kumbh Mela, poor people were treated badly in BJP-ruled states. She said those who raise issues against the BJP face harassment from the ED. Natarajan argued that the National Herald is a non-profit, and if no money changed hands, then money laundering could not have taken place.
AICC Secretary Vishwanath accused the BJP of causing divisions in society. He said that if anyone should be questioned, it should be Prime Minister Modi and his ministers. He claimed that BJP leaders were involved in scams and corruption.
Other Congress leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka and Ministers Dudilla Sridhar Babu and Damodar Raja Narasimha, also spoke at the protest, voicing strong opposition to the BJP’s actions.
