Amidst mounting political heat over the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) chargesheet in the National Herald case, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot came out in strong defence of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi during a party-led protest against the Centre.

Calling the ED action a deliberate move to silence dissent, Pilot said, “This is a politically motivated case. We have faith in the judicial system. We will fight it out legally... Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi have been purposefully targeted. This has been done to suppress the voice of the opposition..."

The protest, held by Congress workers and senior leaders, was organised to condemn what the party terms as “vendetta politics” by the ruling BJP-led government. The agitation came days after the ED filed its chargesheet naming Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other party veterans in connection with the alleged misappropriation of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) assets through the Young Indian firm.