Congress plans mass agitation today, to discuss Rahul Gandhi’s conviction

The main opposition party announced a mass agitation immediately after the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case and said it will not just fight the case legally but also politically.

“We will hold protests across Delhi and in other states on Monday on this issue,” Jairam Ramesh said. “This is another major example of the Modi government’s politics of vendetta, threat and intimidation. We will fight it legally as well as politically. We will not bow down or be intimidated by such politics and will turn this into a major political issue,” Ramesh said.

In the wake of the verdict, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge convened a meeting of senior party leaders and MPs at his residence where after an hour of deliberations they decided to stage a protest at Vijay Chowk on Friday.

“We have analyzed the situation. The verdict was so unfortunate as far as Congress Party is concerned. We will do a solidarity march for Congress Party. We are seeking an appointment with the President. From day 1 onwards, when Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of Adani, the Government of India side came to stop him. They do not want Rahul Gandhi to speak in Parliament. They are varying all options to stop his voice,” Venugopal told ANI.

“But Rahul Gandhi and Congress party will speak. This issue is not because of Rahul Gandhi. It is because the country’s environment is like that. All opposition is getting suppressed. I am happy that parties are showing solidarity,” added Venugopal.

The Congress claimed that the court verdict was “infirm, erroneous and unsustainable”, evoking a sharp reaction from the BJP which slammed it for its criticism of the order, asking whether the opposition party wants “complete freedom” for Gandhi to “abuse” others. The Congress also said that it would challenge the judgement in a higher court.

AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party will hold a meeting with other opposition leaders in the morning and would stage a protest march from Parliament House to Vijay Chowk.

The opposition parties have also sought time from President Droupadi Murmu in the Friday afternoon to raise the matter with her.

The matter is just not a legal issue, but also a serious political issue linked with the future of democracy in the country, he said.

The Surat District Court on Thursday sentenced Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to two years’ imprisonment in a criminal defamation case filed against him over his alleged ‘Modi surname’ remark.

He was later granted bail by the court.

“The court has suspended the punishment for 30 days and granted bail to Rahul Gandhi,” said an advocate at Surat district court.