Rahul Gandhi was virtually the last man standing as the police debated whether to detain him
Rahul Gandhi was detained today after he led a protest and sat on a road in the heart of the capital while his mother Sonia Gandhi was being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate.
The Congress leader, surrounded by scores of policemen, sat on Rajpath - the high security avenue near parliament and top government offices - as he protested over a range of issues from price rise and GST to the targeting of opposition leaders by probe agencies.
The Congress shared Rahul Gandhi's image alongside a black and white photo from the archives showing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi - his grandmother - on a similar protest. "History repeating," the party tweeted.
"I am not courting arrest, I am protesting against price rise, unemployment, for the voice of the people..." Rahul Gandhi told NDTV. As he sat alone - the others with him had already been detained - he was seen taking out his phone and clicking a photo of the policemen.
After a stand-off that lasted for about an hour, the Congress MP was detained by the policemen who lifted him and put him in the bus along with the other detained MPs.
"India is a police state, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi is a king," Rahul Gandhi said while being led away by the police.
In another part of the city, his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi was at the Enforcement Directorate for the second round of questioning in connection with the National Herald case.
Sonia Gandhi was accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to the probe agency's office. Rahul Gandhi also went there before joining the protest at parliament.
The Congress MPs were protesting over the opposition "being silenced" in parliament a day after four party MPs were suspended for the entire monsoon session. The MPs, who planned to march towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan, were stopped at the Vijay Chowk crossing.
"We're protesting as per the instruction of the police. All of this is a conspiracy by PM Modi and Amit Shah to completely destroy the opposition and muzzle our voices. We won't be scared, our fight will continue," said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.