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Opposition parties rallied behind Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday, condemning his disqualification from the Lok Sabha as “a new low for Indian democracy”.
In a notification, Lok Sabha secretariat declared Gandhi’s disqualification a day after a lower court in Surat awarded two-year jail term to the Wayanad MP in a criminal defamation case over his 2019 “Modi thieves” remark.
Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala – which Gandhi represents – now stands vacated, the secretariat said in the notification.
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, whose party otherwise shares rough relations with Congress, termed his disqualification as “a new low” in India’s constitutional democracy.
“In PM Modi’s New India, Opposition leaders have become the prime target of BJP! While BJP leaders with criminal antecedents are inducted into the cabinet, Opposition leaders are disqualified for their speeches. Today, we have witnessed a new low for our constitutional democracy,” the West Bengal chief minister said.
TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who called Gandhi “delusional” earlier this month, tweeted, “DEMOCRATIC INDIA is an OXYMORON Now. #ripdemocracy”
Reacting to the development, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha called it the greatest black spot on Indian democracy. “This is embarrassing, unfortunate and I think there has been no greater ‘black mark’ in democracy,” he said.
“The decision was taken too fast based on baseless allegations. You have no respect for democracy. The Opposition needs to come together to end facism, otherwise the losses that are happening on the 75th day of Independence cannot be rectified,” the Rajya Sabha MP said, adding, “It is not just Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, democracy has been declared dead today.”
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury said, “It’s condemnable that the BJP is now using the criminal defamation route to target opposition leaders and disqualify them as done with Rahul Gandhi now. This comes on top of the gross misuse of ED/CBI against the opposition. Resist and defeat such authoritarian assaults.”
Addressing an election rally in Karnataka’s Kolar during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi had said, “How come all Modis are thieves?”
Gujarat BJP leader Purnesh Modi had lodged a complaint against the Gandhi scion, in which the Surat court pronounced its verdict on Thursday.
“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. 23 March, 2023 in terms of the provisions of Article 102(1)(e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951,” reads the Lok Sabha notification released on Friday.
