Drama, attempt to pressurise court: BJP on Rahul's appeal challenging conviction

New Delhi: BJP on Monday termed as "drama" and an attempt to put "pressure" on the judiciary by Rahul Gandhi ahead of the Congress leader's appeal of the Surat court's order on a 2019 defamation case related to the 'Modi surname' remark.

"They (Congress) are doing a drama to threaten the judiciary. I condemn it. If a court has convicted somebody, then the drama is basically about pressuring. Congress party considers a family above the country..." Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters outside Parliament today.

His remarks came as Rahul Gandhi embarked for Surat from Delhi and according to sources is expected to reach court at around 3 pm and file an appeal against his conviction. Congress expects that court will take up the matter today itself.

The Congress leader is expected to be accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other top leaders.

Earlier in a tweet this morning, Rijiju said, "Rahul Gandhi might be going to Surat to file an appeal. It is not required of a convict to go personally to file an appeal. Generally, no convict goes personally. His going personally with a motley group of leaders and aides accompanying him is only a drama."

The union minister said, "What Rahul Gandhi is doing is also a childish attempt to bring pressure on the appellate court. All courts in the country are immune from such tactics."

Union Minister Anurag Thakur also hit out at the Congress. "India won't tolerate the insult of backwards...Earlier, PV Narasimha Rao, P Chidambaram, DK Shivakumar went to jail too, how many Congress people went with them? Is one family bigger than the country?," Thakur asked.

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that Rahul Gandhi going with his family to the court is a repeat of the Congress leader's insult of the OBC community and will add to it.

Patra alleged that the group of Congress leaders including the chief ministers of some Congress-ruled states, who are accompanying Gandhi will create "mayhem" in the name of appealing against the lower court's order convicting the former Waynand MP in the 2019 criminal defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark.

"Rahul Gandhi, his family members, CMs Ashok Gehlot & Bhupesh Baghel are going to Surat and will be creating mayhem in the name of appealing (against the two-year sentence) verdict. What's the need for this ruckus?" Patra said in a press conference.

Patra also asked if the Congress leaders who will accompany Rahul Gandhi for the appeal want to "pressurise" the judiciary.

"Rahul Gandhi, is it not true that you used a casteist remark against the OBC community? You called them a thief and abused them. You are going to Surat with your family, and some chief ministers with pomp and show. Do you want to pressurise the judiciary? Appealing is a democratic right. You are going to augment the insult that you have thrown to the OBC community by going and staging this kind of protest in Surat. Are you trying to pressurise the Indian judiciary through these gimmicks of yours?" Patra said.
Further slamming Rahul Gandhi over his "arrogance", the BJP leader alleged that he was not ready to apologise to the lower court for his remark.

"The lower court had given him opportunity to apologise, but he denied stating that he is Rahul and he will not apologise. Rahul and responsibility never go together. Why is this arrogance? The Supreme Court had pulled him up for his remarks over Rahul Gandhi. He wasn't ready to apologise in Supreme Court, but the court made him apologise in written in the form of affidavit," Patra said.

"Rahul Gandhi did not apologise to the lower court in Surat. Today, he is going to Surat with his family to repeat and add to the insult to the OBC community," he added.

The former MP from Wayanad was convicted and sentenced to two years in hail by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Varma on March 23 in a defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark in 2019 in Karnataka.