Rahul Gandhi on Friday led the entire Congress party to the streets for “a fight to prevent the capture of the CBI”.

Some senior leaders had nurtured doubts about the sagacity of a political battle over an issue the Supreme Court is seized of, but Rahul told the party this was not just a legal case about differences between two CBI officers.

This was about Rafale and the Narendra Modi government’s invasion of the CBI to crush the possibility of an investigation into the 36-aircraft deal, he said. Convinced that the CBI director was removed because the Prime Minister had panicked when Rafale files were asked for, the entire party rallied behind the Congress president.

Released after a token arrest at the police station, Rahul demonstrated his focused approach. “Nothing will change with the removal of the CBI director. The fact will come out that the Prime Minister had put Rs 30,000 crore into Anil Ambani’s pocket in the Rafale deal. He can run, but can’t hide from truth,” the Congress president said.

Rahul avoided discussing the merits of the case being heard in the Supreme Court, concentrating instead on the role of the Prime Minister and recalling how Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi had fled the country with thousands of crores of rupees.

Throughout the 5-hour protest, thousands of Congress workers shouted one slogan: “Chowkidar chor hai (The chowkidar is a thief).” Narendra Modi projects himself as the “chowkidar” of the country’s wealth.

The placards held by the protesters screamed: “Those coming near Rafale will be crushed.”

Rahul walked from Dayal Singh College towards the CBI headquarters with a huge crowd that ceaselessly chanted “chowkidar chor hai”. Senior leaders Ahmed Patel, Ashok Gehlot, Anand Sharma, Ambika Soni and Veerappa Moily walked with the Congress president, and younger aides Randeep Surjewala, Jitin Prasada, Sushmita Dev, Deepender Hooda and Ajay Maken egged on the crowd behind to raise slogans.

Other Opposition leaders, such as veteran parliamentarian Sharad Yadav, the CPI’s D. Raja and Trinamul’s Nadim-ul Haque, joined in the protest.

Congress workers staged demonstrations in all the cities where the CBI has its offices. The leaders clarified their campaign was not against the CBI, but the government’s brazen attempts to control and destroy the investigation agency.

Rahul addresses the crowd, standing atop a truck, with D. Raja by his side. Picture by Prem Singh

Rahul marches with a crowd of Congress workers towards the CBI headquarters in New Delhi on Friday. Picture by Prem Singh

Rahul in a bus after being detained by police outside the CBI office. (PTI)

Rahul with his party colleagues at the Lodhi Colony police station, where they were arrested. (PTI)

Around 200 metres from the CBI headquarters, barricades were put up by police to stop the protesters. While some Congress workers tried to cross the barricades, Rahul and other senior leaders climbed atop a truck and sat for a while before addressing the crowd.

The energy of the crowd suggested that Rahul’s decision to hit the streets had psyched up party workers ahead of key electoral battles in the coming months.

Rahul said: “The Modi government had tried to ruin every institution in the last four years – be it legislatures, Parliament, CBI, Election Commission, RBI. The CBI officers are watching us from that building. I want to tell them, ‘We are not attacking you, the Prime Minister is attacking you’.”

He briefly recounted the Rafale story and alleged that the Prime Minister deliberately threw out the public-sector HAL from the deal to help Anil Ambani.

Rahul, who sat in the police station insisting that he be arrested as other Congress workers had been taken into custody, was formally arrested and then released. Asked about the push and shove he experienced in the course of jostling in the crowd, he said: “Jitna dhakka marna hai maro, arrest karo, kuchh fark nahin padta (Makes no difference, if you push me or arrest me).”

Asked if had succeeded in energising the party, the answer was: “The Congress draws its energy from the people. There is a question in the people’s heart — chowkidar chor hai.”