Agartala, April 17: The National Herald case took a fresh turn with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filing a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Sam Pitroda. In response, the Pradesh Congress staged a protest in Agartala on Wednesday, alleging that the ED is being misused by the BJP-led central government for political vendetta.
The protest began near the Panchabati Kali Temple in Borjala, with Congress workers and supporters marching towards the ED office. The demonstration saw participation from key party figures including MLA Sudip Roy Barman, Pradesh Congress President Ashish Kumar Saha, and MLA Gopal Chandra Roy.
Addressing the gathering, Sudip Roy Barman accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of using central agencies to harass opposition leaders and divert attention from critical issues like unemployment, inflation, and corruption. “Despite numerous allegations, no Congress leader has been arrested for corruption in the last 12 years,” Barman said, dismissing the charges as baseless.
He also highlighted the achievements of the previous UPA government under Dr. Manmohan Singh, mentioning landmark legislations such as the Right to Education, Right to Health, Right to Work (MGNREGA), Right to Food, and the Forest Rights Act. “These laws were made for the welfare of common people, not for politics,” Barman added.
The Congress leadership alleged that the BJP is systematically targeting their leaders to weaken the party’s base ahead of upcoming elections. They further argued that the clean chits given by investigative agencies in earlier probes stand in contradiction to the BJP’s repeated accusations.
The case is scheduled for a hearing in a special court on April 25, and the Congress has indicated that it will continue to fight both legally and politically.
