As Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi is set to appear before the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with the National Herald case on Thursday, the party leaders and MPs have decided to protest across the country against the central government's "vendetta politics".

The police have already made elaborate arrangements and have barricaded Akbar Road where the All India Congress Committee (AICC) is situated. The Congress lawmakers are also scheduled to hold a meeting at Congress Parliament Party office at 10:45 am.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, other senior party leaders and MPs are already present in Delhi.

Official sources said that Sonia Gandhi has been asked to depose before the investigators at the party headquarters at around 11 am today.

Calling it a case of political vendetta, senior Supreme Court advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi had said, "This is truly a very weird case -- an alleged money laundering case on which summons are issued with no money involved."

It may be mentioned that, the ED had summoned Gandhi on July 21 in connection with the National Herald case. Sonia Gandhi was given four weeks time which ends on July 22.

In June, the ED had accepted Sonia Gandhi's written request seeking deferment of summons. Sonia had written to the probe agency seeking postponement of her appearance by a few weeks till she recovers completely from Covid-19 and a lung infection.

The congress president was discharged from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi on June 18. She was admitted to hospital with Covid-19 complications on June 12.