New Delhi: Congress Members of Parliament on Thursday called upon the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to protest against treating Delhi Police personnel like “terrorists”, even as former party chief Rahul Gandhi called on the Enforcement Directorate (ED). (ED) seeking adjournment of his Friday’s inquiry. Until next week.
While state units of the Congress took out protest marches in every state to the Raj Bhavan, a delegation of senior leaders is likely to meet the President on Friday to highlight the ‘high-handed’ behavior of the Delhi Police.
Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge led the delegation with Speaker M. Venkaiah Naidu, while Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury led Speaker Om Birla.
They alleged that their privileges as Members of Parliament have been violated and demanded legal action against the Delhi Police and handed over a pen drive containing videos of alleged harassment by police personnel.
Lok Sabha member S. Jothimani formally wrote to the Speaker, naming the two officers for violating the privilege of being an MP by using excessive force to “brutally attack her and tear her clothes”.
Congress leaders and MPs have been protesting against the ED since June 13 for questioning Mr Gandhi in an alleged money laundering case related to the National Herald case.
“The way the police have treated us, it seems we are all terrorists,” Mr Choudhary told reporters. Modi and Amit Shah government is turning this Amrit Kaal into Poison Kaal? Was there never any movement and we are trying to present our side peacefully only in Gandhian way.
‘mental torture’
Mr Kharge said he had told the Speaker that the MPs were taken to police stations because the Delhi Police wanted to “harass and mentally harass the MPs and violate their privileges”.
“We wanted the Speaker to take note of this and take action. We want this to be treated as a privilege notice and it is the Speaker’s right to defend us for the violation of our rights and ask him how the MPs were detained. The Chairman said that he will investigate it and get the details of the incidents,” the Rajya Sabha LOP said.
Terming the action against the MPs as a violation of their liberty, former finance minister P. Chidambaram said, “Let the matter be referred to the Committee of Privileges and let the law take its own course.”
The leaders also commented on reports in a section of the media that Mr. Gandhi, during his interrogation, had put the responsibility of all financial transactions in connection with the National Herald on the late Motilal Vohra.
“The ED cannot leak its version of the investigation,” said Mr. Chidambaram, “the fact that the ED has leaked parts of the investigation as per their understanding, clearly establishes bias and prejudice”.
Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha also served “Pause and Vis” notices to Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, citing the ED as a tool to “fix political scores and spread false narrative”. told to stop using it. ,
Meanwhile, Mr Gandhi wrote to the ED to postpone its inquiry citing the ill health of his mother Sonia Gandhi, who is undergoing treatment for post-COVID issues at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. However, till the filing of this report, it is not yet known whether the ED has accepted his request or not.
