Rahul claims impending ED raid, says waiting with open arms
New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday claimed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is planning a raid against him following his recent ‘chakravyuh’ speech in Parliament. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promptly dismissed these allegations, characterising them as a diversionary tactic.
Gandhi took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) early Friday, stating: “Apparently, 2 in 1 didn’t like my Chakravyuh speech. ED insiders’ tell me a raid is being planned.”
He added a touch of defiance, saying: “Waiting with open arms @dir_ed ..Chai and biscuits on me.”
The Congress leader’s claims come in the wake of his parliamentary speech on Monday, where he employed the ‘chakravyuh’ metaphor to criticise the current political landscape. Gandhi alleged that a group of six individuals had trapped the entire country in a ‘chakravyuh’ of fear, which he promised the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc would break.
In response to Gandhi’s raid claims, BJP leader and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar suggested that the Congress leader might be attempting to create a new narrative to deflect attention from questions about his accountability as the MP from Wayanad, following a recent devastating landslide in the constituency. In a related development, Congress MP Manickam Tagore submitted a notice to move an adjournment motion in Parliament, condemning “the BJP government’s misuse of agencies like the ED, CBI, and Income Tax for political harassment.”
Several Opposition leaders have rallied behind Gandhi, accusing the government of weaponizing probe agencies. Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MP Hanuman Ramdev Beniwal supported Gandhi’s claims, stating that probe agencies are indeed being misused by the Centre. AAP MP Sanjay Singh suggested that the government’s potential actions against Gandhi could be retaliation for his critiques in Parliament. Independent MP Pappu Yadav praised Gandhi’s fearlessness in the face of potential intimidation, while other Congress leaders asserted that such tactics would not deter their party’s second-in-command.
