Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as an MP after his conviction in a defamation case. (Express File Photo)Rahul Gandhi defamation case Highlights, March 27: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been sent a notice by the Lok Sabha Housing Committee to vacate his government bungalow in a month. The eviction order comes three days after his disqualification from Parliament for being convicted by a Surat court in a defamation case. Rahul Gandhi has been staying at 12, Tughlaq Lane, since 2014.
The former Congress president also faced the ire of party ally Shiv Sena for his caustic remarks on Savarkar. Thackeray has decided to boycott the meeting of like-minded parties called by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge in the evening.
In his first press conference after the disqualification, Rahul had said, “My name is not Savarkar, it is Gandhi and a Gandhi never offers an apology”. This was in response to a question on whether he will apologise for his “Modi surname” remark in 2019, for which he was convicted of defamation in a Surat court last week, and sentenced to two years in prison. the BJP on Monday fielded senior ministers and party leaders to launch a strong counterattack.
When Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against insulting Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar while saying that he and his party would not tolerate it, it marked the second time in four months that he took on his ally on the Savarkar issue.
The Sena, Congress and NCP are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which had ruled Maharashtra from November 2019 until June 2022, when the Eknath Shinde-led rebel Sena faction toppled the Uddhav-headed MVA government in collaboration with the BJP to form their own government. Read More
As Rahul Gandhi is disqualified as an MP, Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: “India’s political system is veering towards a full-blown tyranny. The targeting of Opposition leaders leading to the farcical disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, the hounding of civil society and research organisations, censorship of information, the suppression of protest, are harbingers of a full-blown system of rule where all the interlocking parts add up to the one objective of tyrannical rule: To create pervasive fear.
These actions are alarming, not because this or that leader has been targeted. They are alarming because the current BJP government is signaling not just that it will not tolerate the Opposition. It will not, under any circumstances, even contemplate or allow a smooth transition of power. For, what these actions reveal is a ruthless lust for power, combined with a determination to use any means to secure it. Neither the form of power the BJP seeks, nor the ends they deploy to achieve it, knows any constraints or bounds. That is the quintessential hallmark of tyranny.” Read More
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been sent a notice by the Lok Sabha Housing Committee to vacate his government bungalow in a month. The eviction order comes three days after his disqualification from Parliament for being convicted by a Surat court in a defamation case. Rahul Gandhi has been staying at 12, Tughlaq Lane, since 2014.
Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as an MP following his conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case and sentencing for two years has brought almost all Opposition parties together against what they call the BJP’s “vindictive politics”. This quick forging of forces has prompted the BJP leadership’s counter, with the defaming-OBC card and an aggressive nationwide campaign against the Gandhis’ “disrespect to institutions both on Indian and foreign soil.” But the party is not unduly worried about any real threat to its dominance.
The pessimists among the BJP strategists cite the 1977 elections in which the Congress led by the mighty Indira Gandhi was toppled by the Janata Party group, and are all for caution and taking precautionary measures. But many in the party rule out a serious fallout, for the simple reason that, for all its proclamations, the Opposition remains too divided to come under a single umbrella – with Rahul himself casting the largest cloud over this. Read More
Addressing a press conference over the Congress’s protest both outside and inside the Parliament, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said: “Congress isn't letting the House run and is trying to mislead people by making erroneous statements. Today Congress's people came in black clothes into the House. Do they want to disrespect the law or were they justifying the remarks regarding OBCs?”
Parliament was roiled on Monday by protests over Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP, with both Houses remaining disrupted throughout the day as for once, the issue united the Opposition. The Trinamool Congress — which has not been attending meetings convened by Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge — too, joined the huddle and participated in a march taken out by Opposition MPs.
The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), however, did not attend the joint Opposition protest at the Gandhi statue and the march to Parliament. Sources said it also won’t attend a dinner to be hosted by Kharge tonight. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is upset over Rahul’s remarks on V D Savarkar. On Sunday, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray told the Congress he and his party won’t tolerate insults of Savarkar. Read More
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been on the receiving end since his remarks on Savarkar. Besides the BJP, the Congress leader has also been slammed by their ally in Maharashtra, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). Thackeray has also decided to boycott the meeting called by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge today evening in New Delhi of all like-minded parties, Sanjay Raut said.
Opposition leaders on Monday wore black in protest against the “illegal disqualification” of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from the House. As soon as the House met, Congress MPs T N Prathapan Hibi Eden, Jothi Mani S, and Ramya Haridas rushed to the Well of the House, tore the papers in their hands, and hurled them at Speaker Om Birla. Some of the MPs also waved black cloth at the Speaker. Birla then adjourned the proceedings till 4 pm.
Politicians, especially from the Congress, are known to be partial to white. But they have often taken to the colour to mark their protest. Last August too, the party sported all black in its bid to raise the pitch against the Narendra Modi government over price rise, unemployment, and the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Read More
Probably Elsie amma turned in her grave at what happened to Rahul Gandhi, since disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP. Way back in 2019, when he was named Congress's Wayanad candidate for the Lok Sabha polls, Elsie amma was thrust under the limelight for a while — her wish to see Rahul Gandhi was fulfilled by the party's PR team under the media glare then.
This reporter attempted to track down Elsie amma to see what she feels about the disqualification, only to learn she passed away six months ago. Meanwhile, a very lively 99-year-old Matthew, a local residing in the vicinity of the district Congress committee office, was spotted cackling, trying to contain the laughter by covering his mouth with his palm. Giving up after a while, he asked, "will you find enough people to carry these," referring to the stacked kerosene-soaked cloth bound around bamboo sticks, to be used as torches, at the local party office at Kalpetta in Wayanad on Sunday evening.
On the third day after Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Wayanad seat, Youth Congress was organising a night march. Mattthew, who stays nearby, had dropped by to watch. Yes, he is a Congress sympathiser who had his share of protests; he narrated with glee how he threw stones at a police station long, long ago during one. But he was not convinced that people in Wayanad are invested so much that they would come on a day so sacrosanct that most locals refuse to work even if you pay them twice the wage. To make things worse, on the other end of the district, at Mananthavady, was Wayanad's most famous all-night festival being organised by Valliyoorkkavu temple, the annual 14-day arattu festival. There's also the Ramadan fasting.
Matthew has a point. If you stop people on the street in any part of Wayanad, and ask what they think of the disqualification, more often than not, people express outrage. But then they get on with their lives, implicitly understanding the battle is being fought elsewhere. This sentiment was also expressed by Sreeja, a municipal Councillor for Indian Union Muslim League and daughter-in-law of Elsie amma. Sreeja expressed confidence Gandhi's conviction will be dismissed in higher courts and he will win the next election from Wayanad, with an even bigger margin. "Most women in my colony and my ward really like Rahul Gandhi," she said and moved on to talk about a more pressing worry -- the impending water shortage, an annual summer occurrence in her colony.
Back at the Congress office too, life went on. Before heading to the protest, the members were treated to an Iftaar. District panchayat president Samshad Marakkar had earlier cited the ongoing Ramadan fasting as one of the reasons why things were low-key in Wayanad. (PTI)
Protesting against Rahul Gandhi’s statements on Savarkar during a recent press conference, BJP MP Poonam Mahajan said: “Rahul Gandhi said he is not Savarkar. He can never be Savarkar. He's not even a Gandhi... The dirt of anarchy being spread by Rahul Gandhi, he is not Rahul Gandhi but 'Rahul gandagi'.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut called Rahul Gandhi's remarks on V D Savarkar "wrong" and said, "He's a Gandhi but no need to drag Savarkar's name. Savarkar is our inspiration. Inspiration behind our fight is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj & Veer Savarkar."
"I will definitely try to speak to him," Raut added when asked if he will speak face-to-face with Rahul Gandhi in Delhi over this issue.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur reacted to the Congress protests over Rahul Gandhi's disqualification, saying, "Rahul Gandhi continuously insulted the OBC community and did not apologise to them. They don't obey court's order. Why are they creating this drama now? He can never be Savarkar as Savarkar never went on a foreign tour for 6 months"
Congress MPs protested in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament, over the Adani issue and the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP
Congress legislators in Tamil Nadu protested against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP on Monday, with placards that read 'Do not be power drunk-- It's democracy', 'Save democracy', etc
Congress legislators in Tamil Nadu wore black shirts and carried banners to protest against the disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP.
Leaders of the Mahagathbandhan in Patna protested against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP, wearing black bands.
Reacting to the Opposition's protests over Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as Lok Sabha MP, Union Minister Hardeep Puri said, "You are getting an ass to run a horse's race... They really deserve to do some serious introspection."
"People of India would judge them for what they are... Fight Court's action in the Court, you are invoking Mahabharat and Savarkar," he added.
Expressing solidarity with Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified as an MP, hundreds of workers of the Muslim Youth League organised a torchlight rally in Kozhikode, Kerala.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal and youth league leader Sayyid Munavvar Ali Shihab Thangal participated in the rally held at 10 PM on Sunday, condemning the BJP-ruled Centre's "revengeful action" against Rahul Gandhi, who represented Wayanad seat in Lok Sabha.
Muslim Youth League is the youth outfit of Indian Union Muslim League, a key constituent of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala.
Talking to PTI, Munavvar Ali Shihab Thangal said thousands of workers of the Youth League participated in the protest march, raising slogans against the BJP-ruled Centre. The protesters accused the BJP government of "butchering democracy" in India.
Thangal alleged that the BJP government was scared of Gandhi who fearlessly exposed its wrongdoings.
He said the protesters have called for a united fight for a democratic India.
Kerala has been witnessing protests by Congress workers since Rahul Gandhi, who represented the constituency, was disqualified as an MP following his conviction over the 'Modi surname' remark in 2019. (PTI)
Congress MLAs in the Odisha Assembly wore black outfits on Monday to protest party leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP
In a series of tweets, BJP leader and Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi could never be Savarkar as the Hindutva ideologue was known for his determination. Thakur wrote, “Dear Shri Gandhi, you can never be SAVARKAR even in your best dreams because being Savarkar requires strong determination, love for Bharat, selflessness and commitment. @RahulGandhi You can never be… ‘SAVARKAR’ (Read in Caps).”
Taking a dig at Rahul’s visits abroad, Thakur said Savarkar “neither spent six months in a year holidaying abroad nor did he seek intervention from foreign powers”. When Savarkar went to England, he “blew the bugle of war against the British to free Mother India from slavery”, said the minister. Thakur claimed that such was the respect for Savarkar’s patriotism that none other than Bhagat Singh went to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra and arranged for Savarkar’s book India’s First War of Independence to be translated and circulated in Punjab.
Read more here
Like-minded Opposition leaders will meet tomorrow in the Rajya Sabha LoP chamber in Parliament to discuss the strategy for the floor of the house, according to sources.
Notably, Congress leaders will step up their protest against the Centre on Monday over the Adani issue and disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as MP from Lok Sabha wearing black clothes, party sources said on Sunday.
This is the third week of the second part of the Parliament session and till now parliament is witnessing a logjam as the Opposition is demanding JPC on the Adani issue and Treasury Benches were demanding an apology from Rahul Gandhi for his speech in London alleging that he defamed the country on foreign soil. (PTI)
It is a dig that seems to infuriate the BJP like no other. On Sunday, the ruling party hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for saying that his name was “not Savarkar”. Gandhi made the comment at a press conference in New Delhi on Saturday when asked if he would apologise for the remark that got him disqualified as Lok Sabha MP the day before.
The “my name is not Savarkar” jibe was a reference to the mercy petitions that V D Savarkar, an icon of the Hindu right-wing, wrote to the British government while imprisoned in the Andamans. (Read More)
"I want to tell Rahul Gandhi one thing, you took out Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to J&K. We were also with you during that time. This is a fight to save democracy. But I want to openly tell Rahul Gandhi, Savarkar is our ideal and we will not tolerate his insult. What Savarkar has done and suffered was unimaginable. He suffered for 14 years. As freedom fighters sacrificed their lives, Savarkar also did the same sacrifice," said Uddhav Thackeray, as he addressed in Malegaon rally today.
"I want to tell Rahul Gandhi, we have come together to save democracy. Do not make such statements that will create fissures (between Sena and Congress)," Uddhav said.
Congress leaders will step up their protest against the Centre on Monday over the Adani issue and disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as MP from Lok Sabha wearing black clothes, party sources said on Sunday.
Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will attend the Parliament by putting on black clothes. (ANI)
Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday termed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha a "wrong thing" and does not bode well for democracy.
"Earlier, the rule was that he or she won't be disqualified till the last court does not award him punishment. There are 20 steps before reaching the last court. This does not go well with the democracy," the former Congress leader said. (PTI)
Rahul Gandhi has become an ex-MP, and the drama that led to his forced exit from the House this week is not about the law on defamation. Of course, we need to talk about whether a modern democracy should treat defamation as a criminal offence, given its chilling effects on free speech, political opposition and dissent. But that’s a separate debate for a different time.
There are abundant instances, after all, on the other side of the political fence, of “defamatory” speech against individuals and communities that has not been proceeded against under the same law with similar alacrity — just listen to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in UP. For now, then, it is the politics of the defamation law’s application, its selective invocation, not the law itself, that is most controversial. (Read More)
The former MP from Wayanad – disqualified last from the Lok Sabha last week after a questionable conviction for defamation during a political speech – was confident and articulate about what he believes is an attempt to silence him. He referred to the Bharat Jodo Yatra as well as the alleged “Adani-Modi” nexus – two themes that have marked his recent public statements.
But when a journalist asked him to respond to the BJP’s allegation that the statement he has been convicted for is “anti-OBC”, Rahul decided to shoot the messenger. “Why are you directly working for BJP? If you want to work for BJP, then wear a BJP badge. Don’t pretend to be a pressman… Kyun hawa nikal gayi?” he said. There was, unfortunately, a self-congratulatory tone to “hawa nikal gayi”, a smirk at the satisfaction of a well-placed jibe. Aakash Joshi writes..
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday wondered whether it was good for the democracy of this country when a principal opposition leader is not allowed to raise his voice in Parliament.
"Is it good for our democracy when the principal opposition leader is not allowed to raise his voice in parliament where we have a PM who speaks to the world about India as the mother of democracy? Is this good for our country"? Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said.
"Let us forget party politics. What is good for our country? This is damaging to India. It is not damaging to Rahul Gandhi," Tharoor said. On being asked about Congress's ongoing Sankalp Satyagraha, Tharoor said, "This (Satyagraha) is not just about congress party or Rahul Gandhi, this is about Indian democracy". (PTI)
? The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) on Sunday held statewide protest opposing the disqualification of their leader Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP. TNCC president K S Alagiri, who led the protest in Cuddalore termed Gandhi's disqualification an act of injustice and political vendetta.
? In Mumbai, several Congress leaders like Prithviraj Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat and Bhai Jagtap participated in the protest. "Disqualification of Rahul Gandhi means hurting and ending democracy. We are making an effort to protect democracy. This is our peaceful Satyagraha,” said Prithviraj Chavan
? Protesting against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as a Lok Sabha MP, Wayanad District Congress Committee (DCC) chief ND Appachan said that they will not stop the protests until Rahul Gandhi returns as MP.
? The Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee will hold a dawn to dusk fast here on Monday to condemn the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as member of Parliament.
? Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress president Vikrant Bhuria was on Sunday arrested for leading a protest against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP by stopping a train at Kamlapati railway station in Bhopal.
? Senior Congress leaders including Jharkhand ministers—Rameshwar Oraon and Banna Gupta— assembled at Bapu Vatika at Morabadi ground in Ranchi to lodge their protest, saying BJP-led Centre is scared of Gandhi's "vociferous voice" on Adani issue.
? Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that the action against Rahul Gandhi was taken because the BJP-led Centre was "scared" of his next speech in Parliament on the Adani issue. Meanwhile, Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan said Rahul Gandhi has been raising his voice against the BJP-led Centre on various issues. "They want to silence his voice, but they are mistaken," said the Haryana Congress chief. (PTI)
Hours after 1984 anti-Sikh riots accused Jagdish Tytler took part in the 'Sankalp Satyagraha' protest in the national capital, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday attacked the Congress and said that such accused leaders should be cornered.
Talking to ANI, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "Congress has to understand this, that whether it is 1984 riots or any other issue hurting people's sentiments, the people involved in such activities should be cornered". "Congress should not delay in cornering such people. Because, it is Congress' loss only, not ours," the Delhi Health Minister added. (PTI)
The BJP on Sunday slammed the Congress over its 'Sankalp Satyagraha', alleging that it was agitating against the country's Constitution and the court's verdict against Rahul Gandhi to justify his remarks against the “entire backward community” of the country.
Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also dubbed the Congress agitation as an “insult” to Mahatma Gandhi, saying while the Father of the Nation had organised Satyagraha for social causes, the Congress was holding “so-called Satyagraha” for personal reasons. (PTI)
"Today, I am saying this..."Our Prime Minister is a coward....he is scared and a big coward...lo karlo case, daal do mujhe jail mai," said Priyanka Gandhi. "Time has come my people, you all now have to open your eyes and fight to save this country and fight for your rights."
'People who think that they can scare us from the threatening to use the agencies against us.. are mistaken. We are not going to be scared.. we will fight against this with more strength. We will fight for the democratic values of this country.. the base of which was built by the Congress leaders.. Congress party's fight is still for this country and its values,' said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
'Can you (public) not see that your money is being taken away and given to just one person.. Whose money is this? Is it Rahul Gandhi's, no, its yours,' she exclaimed.
'This belongs to small business owners, small industries, who generate jobs and provide employment to the public. Big industrialists do not generate jobs, they take them away, and your money is given away to someone else. What did Rahul Gandhi say that was so wrong? Why crime did he do.. by just asking questions of you? You were unable to answer. What do dictators do.. they use the entire state machinery to silence people who are raising questions and they try to suppress their voices. Have you ever thought, why the entire government is trying to protect that one person? Open your eyes.. Rs 20,000 crore are of Adani.. who has shell companies, but there is no enquiry on him. Who is this Adani?'
Launching an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "Till today, we have kept quiet, they kept on insulting our family but we kept quiet... What did my brother do? Inside the Parliament, he went and hugged Modi ji and said 'I do not hate you ...my heart doesn't have hate for you...We might have different ideologies, but I do not have the ideology of hate.'"
"I want to ask how much you want to disrespect one person. Is this country's tradition?...You call us 'Parivaarvadi', was Lord Ram Parivaarvaadi? For his family for his country, he was exiled..? Were Pandavas 'Parivaarvadi' as they fought for their family. Should he be ashamed of the sacrifices made by my family? Should we be ashamed that our family has bled for this country.. This Tricolour.. this land. My family has bled for the democracy of this country," she said.
Thirty-two years ago, in 1951, my father's (Rajiv Gandhi) dead body was being taken from Teen Murti Bhawan to Rajghat.
I was with my mother and brother inside a vehicle behind the convoy, I remember there was an army truck decorated with flowers on which my father's dead body was kept. After the convoy moved for a few moments, Rahul said that he wants to get off the vehicle, but my mother said no as there were security issues. But Rahul insisted, then I also said 'Maa Utarne do' then he got off the vehicle and started walking behind the army truck and kept going on from Teen Murti till about 400 metres from here,' said Priyanka Gandhi as she spoke at Rajghat during the Congress satyagraha today.
'The Prime Minister in parliament questions Rahul Gandhi's surname, insults Kashmiri Pandit traditions and culture, says 'Why doesn’t Rahul uses ‘Nehru’ in his surname'... you insult family and culture but there is no case on you, no investigation, no punishment and no suspension from the parliament. Nobody says, to you, that you can not fight elections for 8 years, I ask why?...' she said.
Responding to the BJP's allegations of Rahul Gandhi's 2019 "Modi surname" remark as "casteist", Congress leader and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot said, "Do you understand the political card he is playing. He is trying to play the OBC card now in the entire country. Mai OBC nahi hu kya? I am CM for the third time. Am I not from OBC...What can be a bigger example than this".
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, "What did he (Rahul Gandhi) do? He asked questions and was disqualified from him. Listen to Gandhi's PC from yesterday... He says, "Mai chahe Sansad k andar hu ya bahar koi farak nahi padta hai, i will continue to fight for this country".
Launching a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday called him a “coward” and an “arrogant” individual and spoke of her family’s “contributions” in nurturing democracy in India. She invoked Hindu deity Ram and the Pandavas to counter the BJP’s accusation that the Gandhis promote dynastic politics, and wondered why people were not protesting against the government. Manoj CG writes
Speaking at Rajghat during the Congress satyagraha, Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said, that Rahul Gandhi was called Mir Zafar despite his father dying for the country.
“…As Gandhi started his yatra and started raising the voice of people and asked questions… The BJP started conspiring against him. He raised the Adani matter, asked questions, they did not have any answer. This might be our first PM in our country who could not answer,” he said.
The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala on Sunday said its statements regarding disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha were not in support of the Congress leader, rather it was opposing the BJP’s undemocratic action against him. CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said that the Left party has always taken a stand against the undemocratic actions, like the BJP and RSS using central agencies like ED and CBI to target opposition parties. Read more
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi changed his Twitter bio to ‘Dis’Qualified MP’ on Sunday after being disqualified as a Member of Parliament from the Lok Sabha earlier this week.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said a martyred prime minister's son who walked thousands of kilometres for national unity can never insult the country as the Congress held a nationwide protest against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha.
She said the time had come to raise a voice against an "arrogant government" as barring Rahul Gandhi from contesting elections does not bode well for the country and its democracy. "My family's blood has ploughed democracy in this country. We are ready to do anything for this country's democracy. Great leaders of the Congress laid the foundation of democracy in this country. (PTI)
During the satyagraha at Rajghat, Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "If you cut open Modi's chest you will see Adani and Ambani....And if you cut open their hearts you will find pictures of Delhi..."
The Congress Sunday called off its sit-in protest against Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification at Lal Darwaza in Ahmedabad after the police denied it permission. The police detained several Congress leaders on the spot. “The protest had to be called off as the police arrived at the spot and tried to stop us, stating there was no permission,” said Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Manish Doshi. Read more
In her speech during the protest in Rajghat, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said, "File a case on me, put me in jail too, but the truth is India's prime minister is a coward".
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said. "They kept insulting our family continuously, but Rahul Gandhi went to Modi ji and hugged in the parliament. My brother told him he has no hatred for him. He said their ideologies may differ but there is no hatred. Is this the country's tradition to keep insulting a person?"
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi attacked the BJP and said, "You (BJP) talk about 'Pariwarvaad', I want to ask who was Lord Ram? Was he Pariwarvaadi, or were Pandavas Pariwarvaadi? Should we be ashamed because my family fought for the country?"
My family has nurtured the democracy of this country with their blood, Gandhi said.
The Punjab and Haryana units of Congress began a day-long 'Sankalp Satyagraha' here on Sunday to protest against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha. Both units are holding separate events at the state headquarters as part of the protest programme in which many senior leaders are taking part.
Speaking to reporters, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that the action against Rahul Gandhi was taken because the BJP-led Centre was "scared" of his next speech in Parliament on the Adani issue.
Warring said a "tearing hurry" was shown by the Lok Sabha Secretariat in disqualifying Rahul Gandhi allegedly at the behest of the BJP-led government. Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan said Rahul Gandhi has been raising his voice against the BJP-led Centre on various issues. (PTI)
Rahul Gandhi on Sunday updated his Twitter bio and added 'Dis'Qualified MP' in the description, two days after he was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP following his conviction by a Surat court in a 2019 defamation case.
The Congress' Rajasthan unit on Sunday began its day-long "Sankalp Satyagraha" here in support of Rahul Gandhi following his disqualification from the Lok Sabha. The party's state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra, minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas and several other leaders are taking part in the protest at the Collectorate Circle.
The Congress has announced plans for a day-long satyagraha in front of Mahatma Gandhi statues at all states and district headquarters to protest against Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 defamation case and his subsequent disqualification from the Lok Sabha. (PTI)
Speaking at the Rajghat protest, Mallikarjun Kharge said, "they (BJP) want to silence Rahul Gandhi, which is why he was disqualified from the Parliament"
Targetting the BJP on Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha disqualification, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "let people decide... why have you disqualified Rahul?"
Addressing protesters at Rajghat today, Congress president Malliarjun Kharge said, "This Satyagraha is just for today but such Satyagrahas will be done across the country... Rahul Gandhi is fighting for the common people. The statement (Modi surname) was given by Rahul Gandhi in Karnataka but the case was transferred to Gujarat. BJP did not have the power to file the defamation case in Karnataka".
Police officials said that protest outside the memorial has never been allowed and section 144 has been imposed to avoid any protests. However, since protesters have gathered, the police said they would maintain law and order by deploying more personnel in the area. Simultaneously, sit-in protests are planned in front of Mahatma Gandhi statues in all states and district headquarters from 10 am to 5 pm.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, KC Venugopal and other reached Rajghat a short while ago and began the day-long satyagraha to protest Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha. (Express/ Tashi Tobgyal)