Manipur Congress President Keisham Meghachandra Singh failed to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in connection with a case being investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The Manipur Congress claimed that Meghachandra Singh received the summons on the same day, making it impossible for him to appear in time. “Hence, he was not able to appear on time,” the party stated. The summons, issued on October 3 by ED assistant director Amit Kumar, requested Meghachandra’s personal attendance on October 7 to provide evidence and submit relevant records. The notice also warned of penal proceedings under the PMLA for non-compliance.

Following Meghachandra Singh’s absence, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize the ED’s move. Ramesh claimed that Meghachandra Singh has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. “This summons is nothing but political vendetta and harassment to silence his voice,” Ramesh tweeted, accusing the government of trying to deflect from its failures in Manipur.

Manipur Congress spokesperson N. Bupendra Meitei echoed these sentiments, also posting on X, stating, “Our PCC President Shri @meghachandra_k can’t be silenced for speaking the truth for the people of Manipur. We will fight this legally.”

The Enforcement Directorate has yet to issue a formal response to the claims of political motivations behind the summons.