New Delhi, September 4: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday defended DK Shivakumar who was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) last night in an alleged money laundering case. Accusing the Modi government of misusing central agencies against political opponents, Rahul Gandhi said DK Shivakumar's arrest is "another example of vendetta politics". BJP Jealous of My Son's Growth, Alleges DK Shivakumar's Mother.

"The arrest of DK Shivakumar is another example of the vendetta politics unleashed by the Govt, using agencies like the ED/CBI & a pliant media to selectively target individuals," Rahul Gandhi's tweet read. Shivakumar is the second Congress leader after P Chidambaram arrested by a central agency in last 15 days. Shivakumar, considered Congress's troubleshooter, was arrested by the ED on Tuesday evening after questioning for the fourth time.

Rahul Gandhi's Tweet in Support of DK Shivakumar:

Prior to his arrest, Shivakumar was grilled for over 29 hours since August 27. He is accused of being involved in 'hawala' transactions in violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The ED had in September last year registered the money laundering case against Shivakumar based on a chargesheet filed by the Income Tax department.

The Congress party termed Shivakumar's arrest "illegal" and said the Modi government is indulging in vendetta politics to deflect the public's attention from its "misdeeds".  "We strongly condemn the high-handed tactics and vendetta politics being deployed against Congress leaders. The arrest of DK Shivakumar is yet another attempt by the government to distract the public from their failed policies and the sorry state of the economy," the Congress tweeted.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala termed Shivakumar's arrest "illegal", adding that the BJP was taking action against Congress leaders to hide its "misdeeds". Shivakumar has denied all charges.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 04, 2019 06:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).