Congress MPs will meet today to discuss strategy after the ED temporarily sealed the premises of Young Indian (YI) in the Congress-owned National Herald office in Delhi, NDTV reported. The police said it was a preventive measure to avoid any untoward situation as there was information some protesters might gather at the Congress office in Akbar Road. The barricades were later removed.
The Congress said the sole objective of this "siege mentality" of the "fearful" Narendra Modi regime is humiliation, insult and intimidation at one level and diversion, digression and sensationalism at another level. "Today you have created a siege mentality, a climate of fear. The entire country watches as investigative agencies are deployed mindlessly against the leadership of India's oldest political party," he said.
Addressing a hurriedly-convened press conference at the party office in the evening after roads leading to its headquarters were barricaded and police deployed nearby, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken and Abhishek Singhvi said it will not be intimidated by this kind of "cheap and petty politics" and will continue to raise people's issues.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot claimed the action was to convert 10 Janpath, the Congress headquarters and Sonia Gandhi's residence into a police cantonment and termed this an "undeclared emergency".
"What we are seeing today is a siege mentality in the heart of the national capital," Singhvi said, adding that the world is watching this unfortunate situation in India, which is a proud democracy of the world.
"The only sole object of this exercise is humiliation, insult and intimidation at one level and diversion, digression and sensationalism at another level. They do not want the issues of price rise, unemployment and GST to be raised in the media," Singhvi said, adding that fear is not there in the dictionary of the Congress and its leadership.
"We will never relent whatever be the cost. We will never obligate our responsibility as a responsible opposition. We believe that these are the actions of a frustrated political regime. We believe that these are the actions of a regime which is losing its balance and is frustrated. You can try and suppress as much as you like, you will receive a resilience and reaction which is completely democratic. We will continue to expose you," he alleged.
