Bengaluru: The Congress on Thursday said it will not be deterred by the Enforcement Directorate summons issued to party's Karnataka unit chief D K Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, alleging that this is being done to stall the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) rejected Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president DK Shivakumar's request for extending the date of his appearance before the agency. Notably, the ED had earlier summoned Shivakumar and his brother and Congress MP DK Suresh to appear before it on October 7.
Congress general secretary in-charge of Karnataka affairs Randeep Surjewala said the ED summons have been issued as the ruling dispensation is scared of the support that the yatra is receiving from the people. Shivakumar said the BJP is scared of the yatra and is trying to stall it by misusing the central agencies.
Scared and panic stricken by overwhelming response to #BharathAikyataYatre has wrecked the nerves of Modi-Bommai Govts to the point of madness.
Repeat ED summons to @DKShivakumar to deter the Yatra won’t stop people’s march to oust Bommai Govt.#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/YrS5r7D0SW
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 6, 2022
Taking to Twitter, Shivakumar lashed out at ED, he said "In view of Bharat JodoYatra, I requested the Enforcement Directorate to postpone the summons. Their rejection of it is a clear sign of political persecution. They don't want me to participate in the yatra".
#BharatJodoYatra ದೃಷ್ಟಿಯಿಂದ ಸಮನ್ಸ್ ಅನ್ನು ಮುಂದೂಡುವಂತೆ ನಾನು ಜಾರಿ ನಿರ್ದೇಶನಾಲಯವನ್ನು ವಿನಂತಿಸಿದ್ದೆ. ಅದನ್ನು ಅವರು ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸಿರುವುದು ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಕಿರುಕುಳದ ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟ ಸಂಕೇತವಾಗಿದೆ. #BharathAikyataYatre ಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ಭಾಗವಹಿಸುವುದು ಅವರಿಗೆ ಇಷ್ಟವಿಲ್ಲ.
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) October 6, 2022
Also Read: Bharat Jodo Yatra: Sonia Gandhi joins Rahul-led Congress' yatra in Karnakata's Mandya
The Karnataka Congress chief said he will be going to Delhi to appear before the probe agency after it issued summons to him and his brother in the National Herald money laundering case. Shivakumar said he will be leaving for Delhi on Thursday itself.
"There is a madness in the methods of BJP. They are scared...They are seeing defeat written on the wall in Karnataka.
"They can send summons to Mr D K Shivakumar, Mr D K Suresh 500 times. They are only trying to block our yatra," Surjewala told reporters here when asked about the summons issued to Shivakumar and his brother.
"We are not scared. We will give them a befitting reply in the court of people," he said. Surjewala said the Congress rejects "such malicious, vicious attempts the BJP is undertaking only because they are scared of the overwhelming support to the yatra"
On Thursday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi joined the party's ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka. Amid loud cheers and sloganeering by party workers, Sonia Gandhi, 75, walked, along with her son Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders, for a few kilometres in Mandya district of the state.
