Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday criticised the Enforcement Directorate raid on the head office of the Congress-owned National Herald newspaper, calling it a face-saving exercise while rejecting money laundering charges being probed by the central agency.

Gehlot tweeted that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action came after the agency “tortured” party president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the name of interrogation."The ED is now taking such actions for face saving," he said.

"When there was no money transaction in the matter, then how can money laundering happen," Gehlot added, alleging that the Union government pressured officers to initiate action. "The ED had closed the case in July 2015 but the central government transferred the investigating officer of that time and put pressure on new officers and initiated action with the feeling of revenge," he tweeted.

"No matter how much the central government tries to defame the Congress through the ED, in the end truth will win," Gehlot added.

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided the head office of the National Herald newspaper in New Delhi and 11 other locations as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation, a week after it questioned Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. The probe agency had earlier questioned former party chief Rahul Gandhi. ?

(With PTI Inputs)