NEW DELHI: The opposition Indian Congress party has announced to take to the streets on Friday to protest against party leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction by a court in Gujarat for defamation.
Party officials announced the protest a day after a local magistrate handed down a two-year jail term to Rahul Ghandi, the great grandson of the first Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Gandhi was found guilty for the 2019 speech in which he referred to thieves as having the surname Modi, in an indirect reference to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Rahul Ghandi made the comment while campaigning ahead of the last general election to debunk the economic policies of Narendra Modi.
He was convicted by the court in the western state of Gujarat, which also gave him bail and suspended the sentence for one month.
That gave Gandhi time to appeal, but he faced immediate disqualification from parliament following the conviction.
Congress leaders’ stance
Two Congress leaders told Reuters that Gandhi would respect the local court’s verdict and not attend parliament.
“It is a fact his membership stands disqualified for now but we would challenge the conviction in the court to ensure he can attend parliament proceedings,” said the federal lawmaker, a Congress leader.
The recent parliament session began on Jan.31 and is scheduled to conclude on 6 April.
Officials in the Congress party said they depend on regional opposition parties to galvanize political support against the verdict.
“It is the critical political test for Gandhi, and we are depending on regional parties to support the Congress party and stand against Modi’s,” said a second Congress leader on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The president’s office confirmed that Congress leaders had sought a meeting with President Draupadi Murmu to lodge a protest against the conviction with the top constitutional executive.
