‘Why are every thief nicknamed Modi’? India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement has become the reason for the cancellation of his Lok Sabha membership. Lok Sabha Speaker revoked Rahul’s membership in Parliament after the Surat court announced the verdict in the Modi surname defamation case.
Rahul Gandhi has become the third member of his family who has lost the membership of the Parliament. Before Rahul Gandhi, his grandmother Indira Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi had their membership revoked on various charges.
What did Rahul Gandhi say?
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi said at a rally in Kolar, Karnataka, ‘Why are all thieves called Modi?’ Due to this, BJP MLA and former minister of Gujarat Purnesh Modi filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi. He alleged that Rahul’s statement defamed the entire Modi community. A case was registered against Rahul under IPC sections 499 and 500 (defamation).
Court Order: 2 years imprisonment
After this statement, the then MLA Purnesh Modi filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi in the Surat court saying that there was anger in the community over the surname Modi. On Thursday, the court sentenced Rahul Gandhi to 2 years in prison. However, he was immediately granted bail after the court’s decision.
In a tweet in Hindi following the move, Gandhi said he is “fighting for India’s voice” and that he “will pay any price for it”.
Following his disqualification, Gandhi would not be able to contest elections for eight years unless a higher court stays his conviction and sentence.
Reacting to Gandhi’s disqualification, the Congress said it was “a black day for Indian democracy” and asserted that the battle will be fought both “legally and politically”.
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