Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha. As per notification issued by Lok Sabha Secretariat on Friday, Gandhi stands disqualified from Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction i.e. 23rd of March 2023. The notification states that the decision has been taken consequently upon Gandhi’s conviction by the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate at Surat in Gujarat. Rahul Gandhi was elected to Lok Sabha from the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala.
A Surat Court in Gujarat has convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his “Modi surname” remarks.
The court also announced a 2-year jail term as quantum of punishment. The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma, however, gave Rahul Gandhi bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days so that he could file an appeal with a higher court. As a result of this order, Rahul Gandhi lost his membership as an MP. The Wayanad Parliamentary constituency will hold a by-election.
When the judgement was delivered in court, Rahul Gandhi was present there. The Congressman said this while speaking at a rally in Kolar, Karnataka, just before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
BJP MLA Purnesh Modi had brought the lawsuit against Rahul Gandhi for his remarks. The decision is a victory for the BJP, which has long called for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress to apologise for the remarks.
In response to the court judgement, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that everytime Rahul Gandhi says something, the country and his party are exposed to embarrassment.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said Opposition leaders have become the prime target of the BJP in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “new India”.
“In PM Modi’s New India, Opposition leaders have become the prime target of BJP! While BJP leaders with criminal antecedents are inducted into the cabinet, Opposition leaders are disqualified for their speeches. Today, we have witnessed a new low for our constitutional democracy,” said Ms Banerjee.
In PM Modi’s New India, Opposition leaders have become the prime target of BJP!
While BJP leaders with criminal antecedents are inducted into the cabinet, Opposition leaders are disqualified for their speeches.
Today, we have witnessed a new low for our constitutional democracy
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) March 24, 2023
Arvind Kejriwal said, “they want to create such an environment that there is only one party and only one leader left in the country. They want all the other leaders and parties to be finished. This is called dictatorship,” he said.
“But today’s government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is more dangerous than British rule. This is not just a Congress fight. This is a fight to save the country,” said the Delhi Chief Minister.
While Rahul Gandhi said, “I am fighting for the voice of India. I am ready to pay any cost.”
मैं भारत की आवाज़ के लिए लड़ रहा हूं।
मैं हर कीमत चुकाने को तैयार हूं।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 24, 2023