Key G-23 leaders maintain distance from Congress' 'satyagrah'

New Delhi: Having been ignored for the Rajya Sabha, former leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and former Deputy leader Anand Sharma maintained a distance from the 'Satyagrah' called by the Congress party against ED which has been questioning Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.

While Azad's office said that he is unwell, Sharma is in Delhi, his office confirmed.

Congress MP Manish Tewari, another leader of the G-23 group who did not participate in the party's satyagrah, is suffering from Covid. He last tweeted on June 13 but did not mention the issue of "satyagrah". The other missing persons are Sandeep Dikshit, while Shashi Tharoor is reportedly abroad. But some of the G-23 leaders made their presence felt at the protest site like Mukul Wasnik, who has been elected to the Rajya Sabha recently.

On Monday and Tuesday, the two chief ministers of the party -- Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel staged protests but Azad being a senior member in the Congress Working Committee was missing and neither Azad nor Anand Sharma issued any statement on social media. Sharma last tweeted that he is concerned about the health of party president Sonia Gandhi who is suffering from Covid-19.

During the protest, Delhi Police detained several Congress leaders for trying to march towards the ED office. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel staged protest outside AICC headquarters. While sitting at the dharna, Baghel lambasted the BJP government for misusing investigative agencies and suppressing the voice of the opposition.