After Rahul Gandhi posts about ‘ED raid’, Congress files Adjournment Motion in Lok Sabha

In June 2022, Rahul Gandhi was questioned by ED for five days in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper.

In his attack on the Union Budget, Rahul Gandhi said it had nothing for farmers, youths, middle class, and Agniveers. (X/@RahulGandhi)

Hours after Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said Enforcement Directorate “insiders” have told him a “raid” is being planned against him, the Congress Friday moved an Adjournment Motion in the Lower House seeking a discussion on misuse of Central agencies.

In his post on X, Gandhi claimed the ED raid was being planned as his speech on Budget was not “liked by 2 in 1”. The Congress leader was referring to his speech on Monday during which he attacked the Union Budget, comparing it to the “chakravyuh of the Mahabharata war where Abhimanyu was trapped and killed”.

He said the Union Budget had nothing for farmers, youth, middle class, and Agniveers. He also promised that the INDIA bloc would break the “government’s Chakravyuh” and ensure MSP legal guarantee and caste census.

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Gandhi said in his late-night post, “Apparently, 2 in 1 didn’t like my Chakravyuh speech. ED ‘insiders’ tell me a raid is being planned…Waiting with open arms Enforcement Directorate…..Chai and biscuits on me”.

Apparently, 2 in 1 didn’t like my Chakravyuh speech. ED ‘insiders’ tell me a raid is being planned.

Waiting with open arms @dir_ed…..Chai and biscuits on me.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 1, 2024

On Friday morning, Congress MP Manickam Tagore moved the Adjournment Motion in the Lok Sabha seeking an urgent discussion. In his letter to Speaker Om Birla, Tagore said: “The opposition condemns the BJP government’s misuse of agencies like the ED, CBI, and Income Tax for political harassment”.

“Despite their reduced number from 303 to 240 seats and the reliance on alliances with TDP and JEM, the government continues to deploy these agencies to intimidate opposition leaders and force compliance, undermining democratic principles,” the three-time MP from Virudhnagar in Tamil Nadu wrote in the letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

“This misuse of state power is unacceptable and threatens the integrity of our institutions. We demand an immediate cessation of these practices and call for respect for democratic norms and the autonomy of our agencies. Our democracy’s health depends on impartial governance and fair political engagement,”, Tagore, 49, the party’s whip in the Lok Sabha, said.

In June 2022, Rahul Gandhi was questioned by ED for 50 hours over five days in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper. “They asked me not to leave the chair, keep sitting for hours…. (said) don’t you get tired, we have got tired. They asked me the secret behind my energy,” the Congress MP had said.

Asad Rehman

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More

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