PM Modi using probe agencies for political vendetta: Congress
New Delhi, Dec 8 : Stepping up its attack on the BJP-led government over ED raids against Robert Vadra's associates, the Congress Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using probe agencies for "political vendetta" and to "besmirch" the names of people living with dignity.
After the Congress's attack, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back, dubbing Vadra the "fountainhead of corruption". Party spokesperson Sambit Patra lashed out at the Congress, saying it showed that Vadra was only a conduit and the "final track probably leads to the family".
Senior Congress leaders Kapil Sibal, Ahmed Patel and Randeep Surjewala held a press conference in the evening at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here, hours after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out raids against Vadra's associates for the second day.
The raids against three persons linked to Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, had started Friday.
Official sources said the action was taken on the basis of two FIRs filed by the agency.
"People are being harassed, held practically under arrest in their houses, raided without any notice. Is this the kind of change Modi had advocated for in (the) 2014 (Lok Sabha) election?", Sibal asked at the press conference.
He alleged that agencies like the ED were "acting on the directions of the prime minister".
Asked if he was suggesting that there was a constitutional failure in the country as agencies that were supposed to uphold the rule of law were being used by the government for its own purposes, Sibal said, "Not only suggesting, but this is my charge that the PM and the PMO are using these agencies for political vendetta and besmirching the names of people who are living with dignity in this country."
The Congress leader, however, did not present any evidence in support of his charge.
There was no reaction of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to the opposition party's allegation.
"When law enforcement agencies start doing hooliganism, then who will probe them? And if they get the support of the prime minister, then who will investigate it?
"No Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) of the FIR has been shared, no search warrant issued, people were forced to sign on blank papers. Is this democracy? Is this the rule of law?," Sibal asked.
He also claimed that the BJP and Modi were "frustrated" with the exit poll projections on the just-concluded Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana Assembly elections.
"If this is the situation at exit polls, what will happen when they (BJP) exit (lose the polls)?," Sibal asked.
"Wherever there are people of opposition parties, they are being targeted and the I-T (Income Tax department) or the ED is being sent after them, or they are being arrested or getting picked up at night," he alleged.
Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged at a press conference that the Modi dispensation was using "high-handed tactics" to threaten people as it was in a "state of panic of the highest degree", sensing poll defeats.
He also alleged that there was never such a "terror raj" in the "constitutional rule" of India.
"We fought the British Raj and the BJP would do well to know that the day of judgement will come for it," he said.
The Congress leader claimed that the BJP was in a "state of panic of the highest degree", sensing rejection by the people in the just-concluded Assembly polls.
Singhvi claimed that the searches against Vadra's associates were carried out in violation of laws, adding, "We have nothing against any particular person, but we are talking about principles.... No Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) of the FIR has been shared, no search warrant issued, no access to lawyers and detained persons were also physically roughed up."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
