By Special Correspondent
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee staged a strong protest against what it termed the “misuse” of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) by the BJP-led Union government, following a court’s observation describing the action against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as illegal and mala fide.
Led by state Congress president Jitu Patwari, party workers marched from the Pradesh Congress office towards the BJP state headquarters to register their protest. However, the administration stopped the march midway by erecting barricades and using water cannons to disperse the crowd. Several Congress leaders and workers were detained and taken away in buses.
The protest witnessed the presence of several senior party leaders, including former minister P.C. Sharma, state Congress media department chairman Mukesh Nayak, Mahila Congress president Reena Baurasi Setia, former Mahila Congress president Vibha Patel, Seva Dal state president Avneesh Bhargava, senior leader J.P. Dhanopia, training department in-charge Mahendra Joshi, former general secretary Haider Khan, former Bhopal district Congress president Arun Shrivastava, Scheduled Caste department chairman Pradeep Ahirwar, Bhopal city Congress president Praveen Saxena, rural district Congress president Anokhi Patel, and leaders Manoj Shukla, Amit Sharma and Ravindra Sahu, Spokesperson Vikram Choudhary, Sheryar Khan among others.
Raising slogans over the National Herald case, Congress workers accused the BJP government of adopting repressive policies and using central agencies for political vendetta. They reiterated their resolve to protect democracy and constitutional values.
Addressing the gathering, Jeetu Patwari alleged that the BJP was conspiring to defame opposition leaders through false cases. “The real face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ED has been exposed before the country. The Gandhi family has sacrificed everything for the nation and will not be intimidated by fabricated cases,” he said.
The Pradesh Congress Committee asserted that its struggle against any attempt to suppress democratic voices would continue unabated.
