Congress slams ED summons to party leader Mallikarjun Kharge

PTI

New Delhi, August 8

The Congress on Monday termed the Enforcement Directorate summons to Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge as an "outright affront" to Parliament and MPs, and said it is high time the presiding officers of both Houses ensured that it did not recur.

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday last had asked Kharge to appear before it in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.

In a statement, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed that the ED summons to Kharge when Parliament session was on was done with the sole purpose of harassing the Leader of Opposition (LoP) and the Congress.

He said the exercise of conducting a search at the office of the Young Indian by the ED could very well have been conducted in the presence of the counsel authorised by the LoP for the purpose.

However, the ED did not accede to this request and insisted on his presence.

Ramesh said though the House was in session, the LoP adhered to the summons and accordingly went to the Young Indian office in which premises he was required to be present for more than eight hours.

"Notwithstanding this fact, in matters, issuing of summons by ED or any law-enforcing agencies to any MP much less the Leader of Opposition when Parliament is in session, is an outright affront to the sacred institution of Parliament and parliamentarians," he said.

"Under the circumstances, in keeping with the sanctity of Parliament and parliamentarians and its time-honoured conventions, it is high time the presiding officers of both Houses may deliberate and ensure that such gross affronts on Parliament and MPs do not recur," Ramesh said in the statement.

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