New Delhi: A day after his conviction by the Surat district court docket for making derogatory remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi attended Lok Sabha proceedings on Friday. The Congress Wayanad MP was additionally seen attending a gathering of social gathering MPs earlier than the beginning of the House proceedings. Congress Parliamentary Party Chief Sonia Gandhi was additionally current throughout the assembly. The House was adjourned seconds after convening amid ruckus over varied points, and Rahul Gandhi left Parliament quickly after that.
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#WATCH | Delhi: Rahul Gandhi attends the assembly of Congress MPs on the Congress Parliamentary Office in Parliament.
Party chief and LoP in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge & UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi additionally current.
(Video Source: AICC) pic.twitter.com/oyxj3YwPno
— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2023
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It could also be recalled {that a} court docket in Gujarat sentenced Rahul Gandhi to 2 years in jail within the case, filed on a criticism by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for his alleged comment, “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?”
The court docket of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma, which held 52-year-old Gandhi responsible below Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500, additionally granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to permit him to enchantment in a better court docket.
What Options Does Rahul Gandhi Have After Conviction?
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In view of his conviction within the case, the query being requested is what choices Rahul Gandhi is left with now and whether or not he’ll face disqualification and lose his Lok Sabha membership. Social media is abuzz with questions if the Representation of People Act can be relevant to him or not. Legal consultants say that Rahul Gandhi can escape speedy disqualification as a Member of Parliament if the appellate court docket suspends the conviction in addition to the two-year jail time period.Â
Noted lawyer and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal has stated that Congress MP stands robotically disqualified as a Member of Parliament after his conviction by a court docket in Gujarat’s Surat in a felony defamation case for his derogatory feedback in opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi, who presently represents the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, now stands disqualified, as per the legislation, stated former social gathering chief Kapil Sibal. “If it (the court) only suspends the sentence that’s not enough. There has to be a suspension or stay of conviction. He (Rahul Gandhi) can stay on as a member of parliament only if there is a stay on the conviction,” Sibal informed a personal information channel.Â
After Rahul Gandhi’s conviction, his social gathering additionally stated that its authorized group will pursue the choice of going to a better court docket. The Surat court docket has additionally granted him time to file an enchantment in opposition to the identical. Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma, in his order, stated that Rahil Gandhi can enchantment in opposition to his conviction and sentencing inside 30 days – implying that his Lok Sabha membership will stay intact for now till the upper court docket decides on the matter.
Congress Plans Mass Agitation, To Meet President Murmu
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Meanwhile, Congress has determined to take to the streets in opposition to Rahul Gandhi’s conviction and meet the President of India with different events. The major opposition social gathering introduced a mass agitation instantly after the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case and stated it won’t simply battle the case legally but additionally politically.
In the wake of the decision, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge convened a gathering of senior social gathering leaders and MPs at his residence the place after an hour of deliberations they determined to stage a protest at Vijay Chowk on Friday.
AICC common secretary Jairam Ramesh stated the social gathering will maintain a gathering with different opposition leaders within the morning and would stage a protest march from Parliament House to Vijay Chowk. The opposition events have additionally sought time from President Draupadi Murmu on Friday afternoon to lift the matter along with her.
Ramesh stated the assembly at Kharge’s residence lasted round two hours and it was determined that the Party chief would maintain a gathering with all Pradesh Congress chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders within the night and plan agitations in states. “We will hold protests across Delhi and in other states on Monday on this issue,” Ramesh stated. The matter is simply not a authorized difficulty, but additionally a critical political difficulty linked with the way forward for democracy within the nation, he stated.
“This is another major example of the Modi government’s politics of vendetta, threat and intimidation. We will fight it legally as well as politically. We will not bow down or be intimidated by such politics and will turn this into a major political issue,” Ramesh stated.
His Congress colleague KC Venugopal additionally stated that the social gathering has analyzed the scenario. “The verdict was so unfortunate as far as Congress Party is concerned. We will do a solidarity march for Congress Party. From Day 1 onwards when Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of Adani, the Government of India side has been trying to stop him. They don’t want Rahul Gandhi to speak in Parliament. They are varying all options to stop his voice,” stated Venugopal.
The Congress common secretary stated that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress social gathering will proceed to talk on the Adani difficulty. “All opposition parties are getting suppressed. I am happy that parties are showing solidarity with Rahul Gandhi,” stated Venugopal.
