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.
High drama was witnessed on Thursday after 125 of 179 international passengers, who arrived at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport Rajasansi, near here, from Italy, in an Air India flight tested positive on arrival. The Covid passengers were asked to quarantine in local hospital as per the guidelines of the government.
On Wednesday, The Prime Minister's rally in Ferozepur had to be cancelled due to a security lapse after some protesters blocked a route and forced his convoy to spend about 20 minutes on a flyover. The Prime Minister was enroute the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala when the incident happened.
Although the department has all infrastructural needs in place to deal with the large number of cases expected in case of the third wave becoming a reality, he also appealed to the people to get themselves fully vaccinated against the virus as it is the most potent tool to avoid Covid-19.
Regretting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to cancel his scheduled visit to Ferozepur midway, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said on Wednesday that there was no security lapse that led to the cancellation of the Prime Ministers visit to the bordering town.
Holding the Punjab government squarely responsible for the "gross security lapse" during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab, that eventually led to cancellation of all his programmes, former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday demanded dismissal of the government and imposition of President's rule.
With the spike in Covid-19 cases, Punjab on Tuesday imposed statewide night curfew daily from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and ordered closure of all educational institutions till January 15.
