Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut skipped appearance before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Mumbai on Wednesday for questioning in a money-laundering case, citing his engagement with the ongoing Parliament session in Delhi, sources said.

The Rajya Sabha MP’s lawyers met ED officials in Mumbai with his written response to the summons and sought time for him after the first week of August.

The federal probe agency will issue him a fresh date after going through the submissions made by his legal team, officials said.

They said Raut, 60, had expressed his inability to appear before the agency at its Mumbai zonal office as he was attending the Parliament session.

The Sena leader has denied any wrongdoing and alleged that he is being targeted for political vendetta.

Raut is a loyalist of former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who was recently forced out of office following a rebellion and split in the Shiv Sena.

Raut was questioned in the case on July 1. He had spent about 10 hours with the investigating officer, during which his statement was recorded under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

“I gave full cooperation and answered all their questions. I will appear again if they call me,” Raut had told reporters after he was questioned by the ED. He said he was “fearless and undaunted” as he had “not done anything wrong in life”.

Protest over Sonia quiz

The Congress has planned protests all over the country on Thursday against what it calls political vendetta unleashed by the Narendra Modi government as Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to appear before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in the National Herald case. While the Congress MPs will protest in Parliament, other leaders have been asked to reach the party headquarters in the morning. All the state units have been asked to hold demonstrations at the respective capitals. The party held protests for five days when Rahul Gandhi was called by the ED.

Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh said: “Tomorrow as the political vendetta unleashed by the Modi-Shah duo against our top leadership continues, the entire Congress party across the country will demonstrate its collective solidarity with Sonia Gandhi in a most telling manner.”Party leaders were not allowed to step outside the 24 Akbar Road last time when Rahul was grilled as the police barricaded the entire area. Even senior leaders, office-bearers and staff were stopped from reaching the party headquarters as the police tried to ensure there is no spectacular protest in the national capital. A large number of Congress leaders and workers were taken to different police stations and kept in detention the whole day. Several MPs had filed a breach of privilege notice against Delhi Police for the highhandedness and physical assault during the protests.