A parliamentary statement issued on Friday, March 24, 2023, disclosed that key Indian opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi has lost his parliamentary seat after a court found him guilty of defamation over his remarks about Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s surname and he was disqualified from the lawmaking body.
Gandhi, who represented a constituency in southern Kerala state as a member of the Congress party, was disqualified from his membership in the lower house of Parliament from March 23, 2023, the date of his conviction, the statement noted.
Indian parliamentary rules state that a member loses his or her seat if convicted of a crime and sentenced to two or more years in prison.
A court in the western city of Surat sentenced Gandhi to two years in prison on Thursday, March 23, 2023 in the defamation case. However, Gandhi will not go to jail immediately because the court granted him bail for 30 days to file an appeal against the verdict. If an appeal court sets aside Gandhi’s conviction, he can get his seat back.
Gandhi briefly visited the Parliament on Friday morning.
The case against Gandhi dates back to an election rally in 2019 when he said, “Why do all thieves have Modi as their surname?” In the speech, he went on to name fugitive Indian diamond tycoon, Nirav Modi, banned Indian Premier League boss, Lalit Modi and Narendra Modi.
Narendra Modi, India’s current Prime Minister, is not related to either of the other two.
The defamation case was filed by a leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in western Gujarat state. The complainant, Purnesh Modi, argued that Gandhi’s comments had “defamed the entire Modi community.”
Modi is a common last name in western Gujarat state.
Several Opposition Leaders Protest
Several opposition leaders blocked proceedings in Parliament on Friday and later tried to march to the President’s palace in support of Rahul Gandhi, holding a sign that read, “Democracy in danger.”
“We fought British, we will fight RSS/Modi,” read other placards they carried. The RSS, or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is the ideological mentor of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
“The country is witnessing a rule of autocracy,” said A. Raja, an opposition lawmaker.
Police blocked the demonstrators with barricades outside Parliament and whisked them away in buses to a nearby police station. They are expected to be freed later Friday.
Mallikarjun Kharge, President of the Congress party, disclosed that Gandhi would appeal the verdict in a higher court and called Modi’s government “cowardly and dictatorial.”
Also on Friday, 14 political parties filed a petition in India’s top court alleging that Modi’s government was misusing government investigation agencies against opposition leaders for alleged financial crimes.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed that 95% of probes by government agencies are against opposition leaders. The Supreme Court said it will take up the petition on April 5, 2023.
After the court issued the verdict on Thursday, March 23, 2023, Gandhi wrote on Twitter, “My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, and non-violence the means to get it.”
Rahul Gandhi is one of India’s main opposition leaders and he will most likely go up against Prime Minister Narendra Modi when Modi seeks a third term in 2024.
Rahul Gandhi is the descendant of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, which has given three Prime Ministers to India. His great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, was the first and longest-serving Prime Minister of India. His grandmother, Indira Gandhi, was the first female Prime Minister of the country, and his father, Rajiv Gandhi, was India’s youngest Prime Minister.
READ ALSO: Indian Opposition Leader Sentenced To Jail For Defamation
