Modi under attack from Sonia, Rahul

After intense discussions, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul on Saturday subjected themselves to the due process of the law and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “deliberately targeting” the Opposition.

Surrounded by a large number of party leaders and activists, Sonia and Rahul said they would not bow down to the diktats of the Modi government and would continue to fight for the rights of the poor.

“I appeared in court as a law abiding citizen...with a clear conscience,” Sonia told reporters at the Congress headquarters minutes after the Metropolitan Magistrate granted her bail in the “National Herald” cheating case filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

“The central government is misusing government agencies to target the opponents. We are not afraid. Our fight will continue. Our struggle for Congress policies in the interest of the poor will continue,” she said as party workers raised slogans of support.

‘False allegations’
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi accused the Modi government of making false allegations against political opponents with the hope that the opposition will bow down to its diktats.

“We will not budge even an inch and continue to work as the Opposition. Modi ji speaks of Congress-mukt Bharat but India will never be Congress free,” Rahul said. The Congress leadership was undecided till the last moment on seeking bail from the trial court.

Bail bonds for all the accused — Sonia, Rahul, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes and Suman Dubey — were kept ready. Sonia, who was learnt to be opposed to the idea of seeking bail, agreed to submit herself to the due process of law after consultations with legal experts and family members.

The Congress put up a show of strength all through Saturday with hundreds of leaders and workers crowding the party office since morning. In other cities, Congress workers protested against the Modi government.

The Congress had even ferried party workers from Sonia’s Rae Bareli constituency to the AICC Headquarters here.

Sonia’s daughter Priyanka held a strategy meeting at senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s residence where former prime minister Manmohan Singh, top party functionaries Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge, among others were present.

Sonia’s son-in-law Robert Vadra also took to social media to support her and his brother-in-law Rahul. “Politics of vendetta and desperate malicious attempts of defamation will not be believed... Truth shall prevail,” he said on Facebook.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh said the Congress is united in support of Sonia and Rahul. “We will fight. We will give a determined fight,” Singh said.