Odisha Congress leaders, workers stage demonstrations over National Herald case

Bhubaneswar: Congress leaders and hundreds of party workers Wednesday staged a dharna near the office of the Enforcement Directorate in Bhubaneswar, protesting over the agency’s chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.

The protesters, including OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das and other senior party leaders, said the ED should function as per law, and not “at the direction of the ruling BJP at the Centre”.

“The charges framed against our leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are false, fabricated and influenced by political vendetta,” Das told reporters.

He said Congress workers across the state are protesting against the ED action.

“The BJP is losing public support, and hence, making false cases against the Congress leaders,” said former minister and OPCC president Jeydev Jena.

The ED chargesheet against former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and others before a special court in New Delhi in the National Herald case accuses them of laundering Rs 988 crore.

Meanwhile, in a press conference, Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal came down heavily on the Congress, accusing it of creating hindrances in the way of law.

“The ED is an independent body and it filed the chargesheet based on evidence,” Samal said.

PTI

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