Imphal: Police detained three leaders of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) who were among Congressmen taking part in a protest carried out in Imphal on Monday. The opposition party carried out the protest against summoning AICC leaders – Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi – by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the National Herald money laundering case.
The ED questioned Rahul Gandhi in connection with the case in New Delhi today. Alleging that summoning the two Congress leaders was nothing but to defame them, a group of MPCC members and workers today carried out a protest rally for a brief period. The rally led by MPCC president K Meghachandra Singh was participated by other leaders and sitting and ex-MLAs of the party. The rally kicked off after a brief protest in front of ED Imphal sub-zonal office at Chingmeirong along NH-2 attempted to march toward the Manipur High Court complex at Mantripukhri. When a strong police team blocked them on the way, a heated argument erupted between the protesters and the police personnel. Talking to reporters, MPCC president K Meghachandra alleged that the Narendra Modi led BJP government at the Centre misled the ED, a constitutional body.
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The officials of the ED are being used by the BJP government in whatever the latter wants, the MPCC leader alleged. “If we remain silent in such acts of misguiding the constitutional bodies, the true face of democracy will vanish from the soil of the country,” he said. The MPCC president alleged that the ED is targeting only the leaders of the opposition parties, while asking the reasons behind summoning only the leaders of the Congress.
Shortly after the protest rally kicked off, a strong police team rushed to the spot and tried to prevent the rally from carrying out further, leading to the eruption of the heated argument. In their bid to take control of the situation, the police detained and whisked away three leaders of the party – MPCC vice president, Hareshwar Goswami, MPCC general secretary (administration), S Johny Meitei and president of Saitu Mahila Congress, Nengnouhoi.
NNN