Youth Congress Gheraos ED Office in Bhubaneswar, Alleges Political Vendetta by BJP

Tensions flared in Odisha’s capital on Saturday as the Odisha Pradesh Youth Congress gheraoed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office, accusing the central agency of operating as a political tool of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Led by Youth Congress leader Ranjit Patra, a large group of activists marched in a procession to the ED office, raising slogans against the BJP and the Modi government. The protest took a dramatic turn when the demonstrators broke through police barricades in an attempt to reach the ED office premises. A scuffle ensued between the protestors and police personnel, who eventually managed to halt the advancing crowd.

Speaking at the protest, Patra condemned the Modi government, alleging that central agencies like the ED and CBI were being misused to target Congress leaders. He criticized the chargesheet filed by the ED against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in connection with the National Herald and Young India cases, branding it as “a blatant example of political vendetta.”

“There is no trace of corruption or money laundering in these cases. This is a clear conspiracy by the BJP to defame Rahul Gandhi, who has consistently raised his voice against corruption and in defense of India’s democratic integrity,” Patra stated.

Backing the protest, Youth Congress national in-charge Mukesh Deshmukh reiterated that the organization will not stay silent in the face of what he termed as authoritarian tactics by the ruling government. “We will continue our democratic fight against this injustice and stand by our leaders,” he said.

The demonstration in Bhubaneswar forms part of a broader pushback by the Congress party and its youth wing against what they describe as politically motivated actions by central investigative agencies.