Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged on Friday that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is planning a raid against him in response to his recent speech in Parliament.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi claimed he was informed by “ED insiders” about the potential raid. He expressed his readiness, stating, “Waiting with open arms @dir_ed ..Chai and biscuits on me.”
Gandhi’s comments followed his speech earlier this week, where he used the metaphor of a ‘chakravyuh’ — a complex military formation from the Mahabharat — to criticise the current government. He claimed that the country is trapped in a ‘chakravyuh’ of fear and violence. He had said that the Union Budget, that was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23, had nothing for the farmers, middle class and Agniveers.
The ‘chakravyuh,’ according to Gandhi, is symbolic of the BJP’s electoral symbol and represents a strategic formation intended to ensnare opponents.
Gandhi promised that the opposition alliance, INDIA, would dismantle it.
During the Lok Sabha debate on Budget 2024-25, Gandhi had emphasised that the INDIA bloc would push for legal guarantees for minimum support prices (MSP) and a caste census.
Congress moves adjournment motion
Meanwhile, Congress MP Manickam Tagore submitted a notice to move an adjournment motion accusing the BJP government of using agencies like the ED, CBI, and Income Tax Department for political harassment.
On Friday morning, Congress MP Manickam Tagore introduced an Adjournment Motion in the Lok Sabha, calling for an urgent debate. In his letter to Speaker Om Birla, Tagore accused the BJP government of abusing agencies such as the ED, CBI, and Income Tax Department for political harassment.
Tagore, representing Virudhnagar in Tamil Nadu, criticised the government for continuing to use these agencies to intimidate opposition leaders despite a decrease in their parliamentary seats from 303 to 240 and their dependence on alliances with the TDP and JEM. He argued that this tactic undermines democratic principles.
“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, who is also the party’s whip in the Lok Sabha.
In June 2022, Gandhi was questioned for 50 hours over five days by the ED in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper.