Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi, Deepender Hooda, Ranjeet Ranjan, KC Venugopal, Manickam Tagore, Imran Pratapgarhi, K Suresh and others have been detained for protesting against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons issued to party president Sonia Gandhi in the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald-Associated Journals Limited case. Sonia Gandhi appeared before the ED for the second round of questioning in the money laundering case.

Rahul has been taken to Parliament Street Police Station. "All Congress MPs came here. They talked about inflation, unemployment. The police are not allowing us to sit here. Discussions are not allowed inside the Parliament and here they (police) are arresting us," Rahul said.

Congress MPs were detained for their sit-in protest at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi when they stopped from marching toward the Rashtrapati Bhawan from the Parliament. The police has imposed Section 144 near the Parliament area.

Delhi | Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sits in protest at Vijay Chowk. Several MPs of the party have been detained by the Police following their protest march from Parliament to Vijay Chowk. pic.twitter.com/FNYgxCZRej

— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2022

"We're protesting as per the instruction of the police. All of this is a conspiracy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to completely destroy the Opposition and muzzle our voices. We won't be scared, our fight will continue," says Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.

Meanwhile, the Congress party held protests across the country. The Delhi Police had earlier denied the party permission to protest at the Rajghat and had imposed section 144 there.

#WATCH | Delhi: Congress MPs march from Gandhi Statue in the Parliament premises towards Vijay Chowk, in protest against ED questioning of party's interim president Sonia Gandhi in National Herald case.Rahul Gandhi also taking part in the protest march. pic.twitter.com/dfu18gdUoN

— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2022

On July 21, Congress leaders had too staged protests outside ED offices across the country. Party leaders and MPs also courted arrest in protest of Gandhi's questioning by the ED.

The ED probe pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper. The newspaper is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian Private Limited.

In June, Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi was questioned in the National Herald case for five days. He was believed Rahul to have been grilled about the incorporation of the Young Indian company, the operations of the National Herald and the fund transfer within the news media establishment.

First Published:Jul 26, 2022 10:32 AM IST