ISLAMABAD: Top Indian opposition figure and a key member of the Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi, said Saturday he would continue his struggle for democracy after blaming his expulsion from the Indian parliament on his demands for a probe into a major business ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Rahul Gandhi was removed from his parliamentary seat on Friday, a day after he was convicted of defamation in Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat for a 2019 campaign trail remark taken as an insult to the Prime Minister.
The current government of Modi has been widely accused by political opponents and rights groups of using the law to target and silence critics and his opponents, but Rahul Gandhi said he would not bow to intimidation.
“I would do whatever I have to do to defend the democratic nature of this country,” he told media persons.
While referring to the ruling party, Gandhi said, “They are used to everybody being scared of them, but I am not scared of them.”
Rahul Gandhi’s removal from parliament
The removal of Gandhi from parliament comes at a time when the relationship of prime minister Modi with one of India’s most powerful industrialists, Gautam Adani, has been under scrutiny.
Prime Minister Modi has been a close associate of Adani for decades, while Adani’s business empire has been the subject of focus this year after a US firm accused it of bizarre corporate fraud.
Gandhi’s opposition Congress party demanded the parliament investigate the issue.
“I have been disqualified as Modi is scared of the next speech that is going to come on Gautam Adani,” He told reporters, adding that he would ask the question continuously what was the relationship of Modi with Mr. Adani?”
Meanwhile, supporters of Gandhi held protests in several cities around the country on Saturday against his removal as a lawmaker.
Gandhi is the leading and prominent face of Congress, once the well-known force of Indian politics but now a shadow of its former self.
He is the descendent of India’s most famous political dynasty and the son, grandson, and great-grandson of former leaders and prime ministers, beginning with independence leader and ex-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
However, he has struggled to challenge the electoral power of Modi’s BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and its nationalist appeals to the country’s Hindu majority.
The lower house of parliament ruled Ghandi ineligible to continue sitting as a member of parliament on Friday, a day after his conviction in the defamation case.
Rahul Gandhi’s remarks against Modi
Back in 2019, during an election campaign, Rahul Gandhi had asked why “all thieves have Modi as (their) common surname.”
These comments of Gandhi were seen as a slur against prime minister Modi, who went on to win the election with a majaority.
Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to two years imprisonment on Thursday, However, walked free on bail after his lawyers vowed to appeal.
