CONG SAYS WILL FIGHT ‘LEGALLY AND POLITICALLY’, BJP TERMS ACTION ‘LAWFUL’
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been disqualified from the Lok Sabha, a day after he was convicted by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case. A notice issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat said he stood disqualified from the House from March 23, the day of his conviction.
The notice read, “Consequent upon his conviction by the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Surat C.C./18712/2019, Shri Rahul Gandhi, Member of Lok Sabha representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency in Kerala stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction i.e. 23 March, 2023 in terms of the provisions of Article 102 (1)(e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of People Act,1951.”
Rahul Gandhi attended the Budget session on Friday briefly before the House was adjourned for an hour and later convened for the day. As a next step, Rahul will have to appeal to the higher court seeking a stay on the conviction, in order to prevent the disqualification and the Congress said it will follow the procedure to move a higher court.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday launched a scathing attack on the BJP and said her brother Rahul Gandhi, the son of a martyred prime minister, was called “Mir Jafar” and insults were hurled at his family but he would not bow down as he belongs to a family whose members have nurtured democracy by its blood.
Reacting to Gandhi’s disqualification, the Congress said it will fight the battle both “legally and politically”.
Defending Gandhi’s disqualification, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice S P S Baghel termed it as “lawful” and asserted that “everyone is equal before law”.
Wayanad LS seat declared vacant: The Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala was declared vacant on Friday after its MP Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from Parliament after he was sentenced to a two-year jail term in a criminal defamation case.
