Anurag Thakur hits out at Congress CMs for defending Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi: Responding to the Congress allegation of the Enforcement Directorate harassing party president Sonia Gandhi, Union Minister Anurag Thakur slammed Chief Ministers of Congress for protesting in the national capital and looking after the issues of their own States.

"Chori bhi aur seenajori bhi, ye Congress se sikha jaye, bhrashtachar bhi aur bawal bhi," said Thakur. The Union Minister further said, "If they haven't done any corruption, then why fear? Chief Ministers of Congress have no work in their states. Incidents of rape, and murder are being reported from Congress-ruled states, but their CMs are camping in Delhi instead of maintaining law and order in their respective states."

He further said that this clearly shows the fear of the Congress that in order to hide the truth committed by the family and the party from the public and to create pressure on the probe agencies they are protesting.
"But nothing is going to happen, you should trust the agencies. Probe agencies have earlier also questioned leaders of other parties but this kind of ruckus never happened before. So is the Gandhi family above the law of the country, this question is being asked again and again," he added.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that the probe agency is harassing the party to demoralize our workers.
"The ED is harassing the Congress party. It is repeatedly threatening and trying to defame Congress. Our Congress President has not been doing well. And yet, she is being summoned again and again. It is an attempt to demoralise our workers. But we are not afraid of ED threats, we are not afraid of repeated calls," said Kharge.

Citing the old age and health issues of the Congress president, Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also said, "I don't understand why the ED is calling Sonia Gandhi again and again. She is old and has not been keeping well. When the ED has already questioned Rahul Gandhi then what is the need to call Sonia ji.

Meanwhile, Congress workers are protesting at All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi against the questioning of the party's interim president Sonia Gandhi by the ED.
The Delhi Police made a massive deployment of security personnel and buses have been parked just outside the gate of the AICC office to ferry detained protesters.
She left the agency's office in central Delhi on Tuesday just before 7 pm on Tuesday after recording her statement.

Officials said that on Tuesday, Sonia Gandhi's response was sought to around 30 questions regarding her involvement with the National Herald newspaper and Young Indian Pvt Ltd, the company under investigation.
Her questioning at the ED office in central Delhi went on for nearly 2.5 hours beginning at 11 am and continuing after a 90-minute lunch break until 7 pm. Her questioning was conducted by a team led by additional director Monika Sharma.

During her questioning on Tuesday, the Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli was asked about the functioning and running of the newspaper, the role of its various office bearers, and her and Rahul Gandhi's involvement in the affairs of the National Herald and Young Indian.
Officials said the agency would also confirm her statement with that of Rahul Gandhi, as both are majority stakeholders in Young Indian Pvt Ltd.

Condemning the agency's action, Congress called it a "political vendetta".
The Congress party also staged protests across the country in support of Sonia Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi and Congress MPs were detained for holding a protest march from the Vijay Chowk to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to draw the President's attention to the alleged misuse of central agencies by the government when they were stopped by the police.

Last month the ED also questioned Rahul Gandhi for five days in the National Herald case.
The case to investigate alleged financial irregularities under the PMLA was registered about nine months ago after a trial court took cognisance of an Income Tax department probe carried out on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013. (ANI)