Rahul disqualified from Lok Sabha; Cong says will fight legally and politically
NEW DELHI: The political barometer hit a boiling point after Congress scion Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha, a day after a Surat court convicted him for two years. Following the disqualification, the Lok Sabha secretariat declared his constituency vacant. A fresh election can now be announced for Mr Gandhi’s Lok Sabha seat in Wayanad. The Congress leader might also have to vacate his official residence.
The Lok Sabha secretariat, in a notification, stated that Mr Gandhi’s disqualification was effective from March 23, the day of his conviction.
The disqualification notification read: "Consequent upon his conviction by the court of chief judicial magistrate, Surat... Rahul Gandhi, Member of Lok Sabha, representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala, stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction, i.e., March 23."
Responding to his disqualification, Mr Gandhi tweeted: "I am fighting for the voice of India. I am ready to pay any price."
The Congress party has decided to go on the offensive, organising nationwide agitation and protests against the alleged "stifling of democracy". The party plans to hold a major protest rally in New Delhi. Then scale it up to block-level rallies and protest marches across the country. The Congress will also approach the other Opposition parties to collectively take on the Modi government.
As for the strategy, the Congress is now planning to challenge the Surat court’s decision in a higher court.
While the BJP is planning to launch a nationwide campaign against Mr Gandhi for allegedly "insulting" the OBC community with his "casteist remark", the Congress workers and leaders hit the streets across the country on Friday to protest against the "political conspiracy" against Mr Gandhi. For the Congress, the ruling BJP is targeting Mr Gandhi as he questioned the nexus between the controversial industrialist Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh claimed that Mr Gandhi was being targeted "for raising various issues that the government finds uncomfortable, including the Adani and China issues, among others."
On the social media, the Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister. She alleged that the Prime Minister’s followers insulted her family and the whole Kashmiri Pandit community.
Earlier, before the notification to disqualify Mr Gandhi was issued, the Congress leader attended the morning session of the Lok Sabha proceedings. He also attended a meeting of the party MPs within the Parliament complex.
Incidentally, Mr Gandhi’s disqualification comes under a Supreme Court order that the Congress itself tried to overturn using an ordinance in 2013.
The top court in April 2013 held that MPs and MLAs convicted with a minimum two-year sentence will be immediately disqualified from the House without getting three months to appeal.
In September 2013, the Congress-led UPA pushed for an ordinance overturning the order. Mr Gandhi not only vehemently opposed his own government's move, but also declared that the ordinance "should be torn and thrown out." And he did so in full public view.
