'India police state, Modi a king', says Rahul Gandhi amid Sonia's ED questioning; BJP hits back, cites 1975 Emergency

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was among several other party leaders who were on Tuesday (July 26, 2022) detained by Delhi Police after they staged a protest against Sonia Gandhi's questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the National Herald case. According to officials, over 250 Congress functionaries and workers, including 57 MPs, were detained for protesting against the second round of questioning of their interim party president. They, however, were released after being in detention for a brief period.

"Look at the dictatorship, cannot hold peaceful demonstrations, cannot discuss inflation and unemployment. By misusing the police and agencies, even by arresting us, you will never be able to silence us. Only 'Truth' will end this dictatorship," Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter and shared some pictures of his protest.

तानाशाही देखिए, शांतिपूर्ण प्रदर्शन नहीं कर सकते, महंगाई और बेरोज़गारी पर चर्चा नहीं कर सकते।

पुलिस और एजेंसियों का दुरूपयोग करके, हमें गिरफ़्तार करके भी, कभी चुप नहीं करा पाओगे।

'सत्य' ही इस तानाशाही का अंत करेगा। pic.twitter.com/M0kUXcwH8L — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 26, 2022

"India is a police state, Modi is a king," the Wayanad MP told reporters before being put on a police bus.

He also alleged that discussions are not being allowed in Parliament.

Congress has never shown 'any respect' for Constitution: BJP hits back

Following Rahul Gandhi's allegations, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan hit back at Congress for criticizing investigation agencies and claimed that the opposition party has never shown any respect for the Constitution.

Accusing the opposition party of complete disregard for Constitutional values, he cited the instance of Rahul Gandhi tearing an ordinance cleared by the Cabinet led by the then prime minister Manmohan Singh. The senior BJP leader was referring to Gandhi's move of tearing the ordinance brought by the Congress-led UPA government in 2013 to allow those convicted in criminal cases to contest elections.

Pradhan also attacked the grand old party by mentioning the imposition of the Emergency by the Indira Gandhi-led Congress government in 1975.

"It is a figment of their imagination," he said when asked about Rahul Gandhi's allegations that "India has become a police state" under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 

Pradhan also mocked Congress saying that it cannot make such claims after "defying Constitutional values all the time" when it was in power.

"People who imposed Emergency defying Constitutional values, it doesn't suit them (to make such allegations). They have never shown any respect for the Constitution. Even when a Congress prime minister was there, Rahul Gandhi had torn an ordinance passed by the Union Cabinet," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

National Herald case: ED grills Sonia Gandhi for six hours, asks Congress chief to appear again

The ED on Tuesday questioned Congress President Sonia Gandhi for the second time in six days in the National Herald newspaper-linked money laundering case. ED officials reportedly grilled Gandhi for six hours and asked her to appear before the agency for the third round of questioning today. 

Earlier on July 21, she was questioned for over two hours during which she reportedly replied to 28 questions put forth by the law enforcement agency. Sonia Gandhi, according to PTI, had reiterated the Congress party's stand that the Young Indian was a "not for profit" company and no personal benefits were gained by them.

The questioning of Sonia and her son Rahul Gandhi, who was quizzed last month in sessions that clocked over 50 hours over five days, pertains to the charge of alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian, which owns the National Herald newspaper.