Odisha Congress Protests ED Chargesheet Against Sonia, Rahul Gandhi in National Herald Case

Hundreds of Congress leaders and workers staged a massive demonstration near the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, denouncing the agency’s chargesheet against top party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in connection with the National Herald case.

Led by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das, the protest saw participation from several senior Congress leaders and a large number of party supporters. The demonstrators raised slogans against the BJP-led central government, accusing it of misusing investigative agencies to target opposition leaders.

“The charges framed against our leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are false, fabricated and influenced by political vendetta,” Bhakta Charan Das said while addressing the media during the protest. “The ED must function independently and in accordance with the law, not at the behest of the ruling BJP.”

The Congress workers alleged that the chargesheet is a deliberate move to malign the image of the party’s central leadership ahead of upcoming elections and suppress dissenting voices. They demanded the immediate withdrawal of the charges and called for an impartial probe free from political influence.

The protest remained peaceful, with police deployed in large numbers to maintain law and order. Congress leaders said similar demonstrations would be held across the country to highlight what they called the “misuse of constitutional institutions for political gains.”