National Herald case: Sonia Gandhi leaves ED office after 2 hours of questioning

New Delhi, July 21: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday recorded the statement of Congress president Sonia Gandhi for two hours in the National Herald money laundering case and ended the session for the day on her request as she is recovering from Covid. This is the first time that any federal probe agency is questioning the Congress president.

Gandhi, 75, arrived at the federal probe agency's headquarters located at Vidyut Lane flanking A P J Abdul Kalam Road in central Delhi a little after noon escorted by her Z+ category CRPF security cover.

The questioning will be conducted keeping in mind Covid protocols and the session will be conducted by the same assistant director-level investigation officer who had questioned Rahul Gandhi in the case.

The questioning team will also have a woman officer and all of them have obtained 'Covid negative' certificates in order to participate in the session, sources said. Gandhi, who was diagnosed with Covid recently, was seen wearing a mask and was accompanied by her children Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Vadra will be allowed to stay in the 'Pravartan Bhawan' headquarters of the agency, away from the questioning room, so that in case of a health issue she can be with her mother and provide her medicines. Rahul Gandhi later left the place.

Meanwhile, Congress workers staged protest against the ED for probing party chief Sonia Gandhi who is set to appear before the probe agency today in National Herald case.

Earlier, the ED had questioned Rahul Gandhi for over 50 hours in five days at the agency's headquarters in Delhi.

Congress leaders and workers, including party MPs, had protested and courted arrest when Rahul Gandhi appeared before the ED in the same case and was questioned for several days. Some other Congress leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge have also appeared before the probe agency earlier, in the same case.

The police have already put up barricades around the Congress office on Akbar Road anticipating a repeat of the protests.

Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that the Modi government was misusing probe agencies for political purposes and had "created a tradition of targeting our top leadership".

"We will oppose at all levels, inside and outside Parliament against this kind of 'vendetta politics' unleashed by the Modi-Shah duo. Protests against this kind of dirty politics will be done all over the country," said Khera.

The case pertains to the probe into the alleged financial irregularities in the party-promoted Young Indian that owns the National Herald newspaper. The paper is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian Pvt Limited.

The probe agency had registered a fresh case under the criminal provisions of the PMLA after a trial court here took cognizance of an Income Tax Department probe against Young Indian Pvt Ltd on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.