Surat boost for BJP UK attack: ‘Congress doesn’t respect institutions’

Later in the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers met Speaker Om Birla. After the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said: “The reactions of leaders of Congress make it clear they don’t respect the institutions of the country. This is quite evident that they have scant respect for the institutions and they are repeatedly showing it.”

Asked about the impact of the verdict on Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership, Joshi said: “People concerned will examine it (court order) legally and then we will give a reaction.”

Sources in the Speaker’s office said due process would be followed to issue a notification on the disqualification. “Let the order come to the Speaker’s office along with a complaint to disqualify him…legal experts will examine and take a decision,” said a source in the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

The Congress is trying to frame this as part of the attack by a “dictatorial BJP government” because he was “exposing their misdeeds and demanding a JPC into the Adani issue.”

Earlier, party national spokesperson and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asserted it was a judicial process and that the law would take its course if Gandhi abuses people. He rejected the Congress criticism of his conviction and asked whether the Opposition party wants “complete freedom” for him to “abuse” others.

“The court order clears the way for his disqualification and the burden is now on Rahul Gandhi to get out of it,” said a senior BJP leader “so that he can get back to the House. Why should we do anything pro-active?”

While the Congress’s reading is that this strengthens Rahul’s case of democratic backsliding, BJP leaders said the party hopes to reap “political advantage” as any comparison of Modi to fugitives like Nirav Modi or Lalit Modi would backfire — like the chowkidar-chor-hai “self-goal” during 2019 — and lead to further consolidation of support for PM.

Still, party leaders are surprised by the quick support to Gandhi by Aam Aadmi Party. Responding to the conviction order, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that “a conspiracy is being hatched to eliminate non-BJP leaders and parties by prosecuting them. We have differences with the Congress, but it is not right to implicate Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case like this. ..It is the job of the public and the opposition to ask questions. We respect the court but disagree with the decision,” he said.

Meanwhile, the war of words intensified. “Rahul Gandhi should accept that the harm or injury through words is deeper than those made by a sword. I would say we all should learn from this incident and make sure we don’t cross the line while speaking in public,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.

Surat MP and Union Minister Darshana Jardosh termed the court order a “testimony to the lies and wrong remarks Gandhi always makes.”

Prasad hit out at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for questioning the court’s order. Making such comments show that the party does not believe in the judiciary, he said, and asked, “Does it want to keep even the judiciary even in its pocket?”

Prasad added: “There is rule of law in the country and it will prevail…The law of India has it that if an individual or an organisation has been defamed with scurrilous statements, scandalous comments, abuses or any defamatory remarks, then he has a right to seek redress. But the Congress party has an objection. It wants complete freedom for Rahul Gandhi to throw abuses.”