Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
Highlights
- Rahul Gandhi accused CM Vijayan's CPI-M to have "connections with the BJP"
- He said that Centre "won't use CBI, ED against Kerala CM because BJP & CPM have understanding"
- The Wayanad MP, speaking of recent ED grilling, said that he views the interrogation as a medal
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is currently on a three-day visit to Kerala, took a jibe at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday. He accused the CM's party CPI-M to have "connections with the BJP" due to which the CM never comes under the BJP-led Central government's line of attack.
He said that the Centre will not "won't use CBI, ED against Kerala CM because BJP & CPM have an understanding."
Speaking about his latest episode with the Enfocement Directorate's and five days of grilling, the Wayanad MP said that he views the interrogation as a medal.
"When I was interrogated for 5 days, I wondered why they interrogated for 5 days & not for 10 days...I view my 5 days of interrogation as a medal. I hope they'll do it again," he said, while attacking the CPI-M government in Kerala.
Over 50 hours of grilling
The Congress MP spent a total of about 54 hours at the ED office over five sittings with the investigators questioning him over multiple sessions and recording his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The probe relates to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper.
The ED is understood to have asked Gandhi about the incorporation of Young Indian Private Limited, operations of the National Herald, the loan given by the party to the newspaper's publisher Associated Journals Limited (AJL), and the transfer of funds within the news media establishment.
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and majority shareholders of Young Indian. Like her son, the Congress president too has 38 per cent shareholding.
Kerala visit
Rahul Gandhi arrived to his constituency Wayanad a week after activists of SFI, the students wing of ruling CPI(M), vandalised his office in Kalpetta. The Congress had alleged that the Wayanad MP’s office was vandalised with the knowledge of the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
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