Delhi Confidential: On day Sonia Gandhi appears before ED, Congress to stage protest, calls for Oppn support

Protest camaraderie: Gearing up for protests on July 21, the day Congress president Sonia Gandhi will appear before the Enforcement Directorate, the party has reached out to other Opposition parties requesting them to show solidarity. MPs of the Congress may stage a protest in Parliament while senior party leaders will assemble at the AICC headquarters, 24, Akbar Road.

At a meeting of Opposition leaders on Monday, sources said, Mallikarjun Kharge and Jairam Ramesh requested the other parties to join the July 21 protest and also the one against price rise and GST rates hike in Parliament on Tuesday. Many Opposition MPs did join the protest at the Gandhi Statue on Tuesday.

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Change of mind: On Monday when the NDA allies assembled for nomination fling by their vice-presidential candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar, the members of rebel Shiv Sena group (those who have joined Chief Minister Eknath Shinde camp) wanted to be with them.

According to sources, the MPs belonging to the rebel group were too eager to accompany Dhankhar during the nomination filing. Sources said it was only when they were pointed out that accompanying the NDA candidate before getting recognition as a separate group in the Lok Sabha or by the Election Commission could be taken as a violation of the party’s direction and they could face action under the anti-defection law that the plan was dropped.