ED accepts Rahul Gandhi's request, summons him on Monday
Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 Jun, 2022 10:46 AM
New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday accepted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's request seeking more time from the ED in connection with his ongoing questioning in the National Herald case for which he was summoned for the fourth day this week on Friday.
Accordingly, the financial probe agency has asked the Congress leader to appear before it again on Monday.
"Rahul Gandhi has sent us an email saying since his mother Sonia Gandhi is hospitalised due to Covid related complications, he needs to look after her. He requested us that his questioning should resume on Monday instead of Friday. We have accepted his request," said an ED source.
For last three days, Rahul Gandhi was grilled for about 30 hours in total by a three-member ED team.
On Wednesday, the Congress leader's questioning ended at around 10 p.m. but he left the ED headquarters at around 11:45 p.m.
Chief Secretary H.K. Diwedi held an emergency meeting with the District Magistrates and Superintendent of Polices of West and East Burdwan, Bankura, Birbhum, Hooghly, and Howrah on Thursday evening and took stock of the situation. After that the state government decided to deploy the Army in certain areas. However, NDRF teams have been kept on standby.
According to sources, Amarinder Singh will convene a meeting of leaders close to him in a few days to consider the formation of his new party, which will include all the leaders of the anti-Sidhu faction.
The arrested persons have been identified as Abdul Khalid, Shriram Chaurasia, Zishan Ahmad, Vikas Kesarwani and Krishna Kumar. Inspector (Kareli) Anupam Sharma said the arrested persons had sold SIM cards to law-breakers at high prices after creating fake IDs.
The ex-CM of Punjab recalled that Rawat himself had publicly stated after meeting him that he was satisfied by his government's track record on the 2017 poll promises.
It is learnt that Channi in his first meeting with the Prime Minister after becoming chief minister of Punjab requested that the Centre take back its decision to postpone paddy procurement by 10 days. The Centre has postponed the procurement of paddy by 10 days due to rain in Punjab and Haryana. Earlier the procurement was supposed to start from October 1 but now it will start from October 11.
Scotching speculation to the contrary, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday made it clear he was not joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but had no intention of continuing in the Congress either, which he said was going downhill with senior leaders completely ignored and not given a voice.