Multiple leaders from various political parties including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Trichy Shiva, Derek O’Brian, Tejaswi Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, Farooq Abdullah, Dipankar Bhattarcharya, Champai Soren, G Devaraja and Kalpana Soren are expected to participate in the protests.
India’s Opposition leaders have for long protested what they term misuse of investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Income Tax Department by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ‘cripple’ them and have termed it a threat to the democratic framework of the nation.
Most recently, Aam Aadmi Party’s National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED for his alleged involvement in the now-scrapped Excise Policy Scam. This was the first instance where a sitting CM was arrested. Earlier, Jharkhand’s CM Hemant Soren too was arrested. However, he handed over the reins to Champai Soren prior to his arrest.
Kharge and Rahul Gandhi-led Congress party recently accused the government of freezing its bank accounts in a tax dispute to cripple it. So far, the party has been issued notice for funds worth Rs 1,823 crore by the I-T Dept for assessment years tracing back to the 90s.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, however, has refuted all allegations of political vendetta, saying that those who have been involved in corruption must face the wrath of law.