India's main opposition Congress party accused the government of a "vendetta" on Wednesday after a federal agency filed charges against its top leaders in a years-long corruption case.
Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi were charged as part of a probe initiated by a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
They have denied the allegations and have accused the BJP of using the state apparatus to target its rivals.
Congress lawmaker Abhishek Singhvi said the case was "nothing but vendetta in legal disguise".
He also accused the government of using the Enforcement Directorate -- a national agency that probes money laundering and financial crimes -- of selectively targeting the opposition while sparing its allies.
"Selective justice is nothing but political thuggery," Singhvi added.
The initial 2001 complaint against the Gandhis brought by BJP member Subramanian Swamy accused the Gandhis and others of "usurping" properties belonging to a now-defunct newspaper.
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