Summoned in middle of Parliament session, says Mallikarjun Kharge

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Thursday revealed that he received a summon by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) while he was attending the Parliament session.

He said, "I received ED summon, they called me at 12.30 pm. I want to abide by law, but is it right for them to summon when Parliament is in session? Is it right for Police to gherao residences of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi?"

Kharge added, "We won't be scared, we will fight."

He was summoned by the ED in a money laundering case linked to the news outlet National Herald. Party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have already been questioned in the case over alleged evasion of tax.

Rajya Sabha proceedings on Thursday were disrupted as Congress members created uproar over the issue of alleged misuse of central probe agencies by the government. Kharge charged that autonomous bodies were being misused by the government to settle political scores, an allegation that was countered by Treasury benches.

This led to heated exchanges between MPs of the two sides. Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal said that law enforcing agencies are doing their work and the present government is not interfering in their functioning.

Opposition members trouped in the Well of the House and continued sloganeering.

Amid intense protest from the Opposition over the misuse of investigating agencies, the Rajya Sabha held 'Question Hour' on Thursday, but was adjourned again till 2 pm.

The House proceedingswere adjourned twice in pre-lunch proceedings after the opposition members continued sloganeering in protests against the ED raids and summons against the Opposition leaders.

(With inputs from PTI)