A March for Manmohan

Sonia Gandhi on Thursday led Congress in a solidarity march to the residence of Manmohan Singh who has been summoned as an accused in the coal scam, a move that sought to stub out doubts about the party's support for the former PM besides making the populist point that an honest man was being targeted.
The Congress supremo, who dubbed the summons “outrageous“, gathered members of the Congress Working Committee and MPs--a crowd of around 100 people-at the party's 24, Akbar Road HQ before setting off to Singh's house on Motilal Nehru Marg, around half-a-km away . Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur received the delegation which comprised his excabinet colleagues P Chidambaram, Anand Sharma, Ambika Soni and Veerappa Moily , among others, in what appeared to be a unique political event given the warm smiles in the sombre mood. The timing was politically significant as most of the gathering, minutes later, left for Parliament to attend the proceedings.
“I was outraged at the news that summons had been served to Manmohan Singh,“ Sonia said, adding, “He is known not only in our country but throughout the world as a person of integrity and probity. We are here to offer our unstinted support.“ Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday pledged full support to former PM Manmohan Singh, who has been summonned by the special CBI court in a Coalgate case. “Congress is fully behind him. We shall fight this legally and with all the means at our command. We are sure, we are convinced, that he will be vindicated,“ she said.
“I am more than pleased and grateful...the Congress party , Sonia Gandhi and all members of the CWC and senior leaders have come to my residence, expressed solidarity with me and that we will fight this case to the best of our ability ,“ Singh said. An MP quoted him as having told the delegation that there would not be a shadow of suspicion when the process ends.
The bonhomie was significant given BJP's attempt to draw a distinction between “corrupt Congress“ and “honest Singh“.
The idea for the solidarity march emanated from Sonia at a meeting with her confidants, leaders in Parliament and top in-house lawyers on Wednesday evening. While the plan initially was to limit the power walk to members of CWC, Sonia decided to scale it up because she wanted to soothe Singh who was feeling “pretty low“. The sight of party MPs and senior leaders marching in Lutyens zone was seen as an emphatic way to comfort the mascot of its decade in power.
Congress has desisted from pointing fingers at BJP because the CBI has already given a clean chit to Singh. However, Chidambaram questioned the Centre's “tragic silence“ on the summons while partymen found the timing of the summons intriguing as also the fact that the judicial order was too detailed for the summoning stage and that Section 319 of CrPC is also used sparingly .

Commenting on the order, Soli Sorabjee said, “I hope it's not... judicial enthusiasm amounting to judicial overreach“.Ram Jethmalani said, “I'm almost pained and ashamed it has happened to a former PM.“