Subjecting former Congress president Rahul Gandhi to extended hours of questioning by the Enforcement Directorate is an intimidatory tactic, D. Raja, general secretary of the Communist Party of India, said on Thursday.
Mr. Raja, condemning the Narendra Modi government for misusing Central agencies, added that the Enforcement Directorate’s investigations should be seen as a message to the rest of the Opposition too. “Mr. Gandhi belongs to the country’s oldest political party and lead Opposition force. By calling him again and again for questioning him and detaining him for extended hours, the government simply is sending out a message to every Opposition party in the country, that if they oppose the government, they too have to brace themselves to face similar measures,” Mr. Raja added.
He also pointed out that the timing of the interrogation, when the Opposition is looking for a consensus candidate against the government nominee for the Presidential elections, is also circumspect.
Mr. Raja also slammed the Delhi police for brutally shutting down the Congress’ protest against Enforcement Directorate. He spoke to Karur MP Jothimani on Wednesday night to enquire about her wellbeing, after videos of her being manhandled by police surfaced. “To bar leaders from entering their own party headquarters and then to brutally drag elected women MPs on the roads is despicable,” Mr. Raja said.
On Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too had expressed concerns on the issue. She criticised the Modi government for using Central agencies for targeted attacks against their political opponents.
