The United States is "closely watching" the conviction and sentencing of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in India and his disqualification from the membership of Parliament, a spokesperson of President Joe Biden’s administration said in Washington DC.
The social media department of the Gujarat unit of the Congress on Tuesday started a trend with #daromat on Twitter following the disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi as an MP. More than 5,000 people tweeted with the hashtag within a few hours.
“Rahul Gandhi has given the slogan `Daro Mat' (do not be afraid). Social media department of the Gujarat Congress has started a trend of tweeting our messages against this government's fascist attitude on Tuesday morning with #daromat,” Congress spokesperson Hiren Banker said.
The Congress is set to convene a meeting of top opposition leaders in April after some organisations urged the grand old party to take the lead in strengthening unity among anti-BJP forces.
The meeting would take forward the bonhomie displayed by several opposition parties during the budget session of Parliament and it would be expanded outside too.
Congress sources said the proposal for this meeting was made at the meeting of opposition leaders convened by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence on Monday evening.
Why no eminent lawyer of the Congress came to the aid of Rahul Gandhi when he was convicted in a defamation case leading to his disqualification from Parliament, Union Minister Anurag Thakur asked on Tuesday and wondered if it was deliberate and part of a conspiracy within the party. Thakur, addressing the 'Times Network India Digital Fest', also described Gandhi as a "loose cannon" and a "serial offender" who has seven cases of defamation in various courts even after being cautioned by the apex court.
Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Tuesday said Opposition unity in the face of Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha provides a fertile ground to "build an edifice on", and noted that if this is the beginning of a more sustained cooperation it was "worth paying the price" for.
Khurshid also said he was confident that Rahul Gandhi will be back in Parliament "very quickly" through the legal process.
In an interview with PTI, the former law minister said changes to the law on disqualification of legislators was "inevitable" as steps undertaken to clean up the political system have some unintended dimensions and Rahul Gandhi's case seems to be one such instance.
Union minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday hit out at the Congress leadership over the alleged remarks by the party's youth wing president Srinivas BV against her, saying the words he used were of Rahul Gandhi and the 'sanskar' of Sonia Gandhi.
The BJP leader also alleged that Congress members who want "promotion" will continue to make "such kind of comments" against her so long as Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are there in the party.
Srinivas had allegedly made certain remarks against Irani at the Sankalp Satyagrah organised by the Congress at the Rajghat to protest against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha member.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday replied to the Lok Sabha Secretariat's notice to vacate his official bungalow and said he will abide by the eviction notice, even as his party leaders slammed the government, accusing it of humiliating him.
Gandhi was on Monday served a notice to vacate the government bungalow, allotted to him, by April 22 following his disqualification as a member of Lok Sabha after his conviction in a criminal defamation case last week.
Ranjit Savarkar, the Hindutva ideologue's grandson, has said that Pawar has great respect for his grandfather, but he should also ask Rahul to apologise for his remarks. The former Wayanad MP had earlier said that he would not apologise for his comments against PM Modi because he is a 'Gandhi' and not a 'Savarkar'.
Kharge says Gandhi can either go to his mother or even come to him if he needs a place to say, adding that he condemn's the central government's attitude "to scare, threaten & humiliate Gandhi. Kharge further added that he himself had "received" his bungalow after six months, and that such delays are done by people who want to humiliate others.
Union Minister Smriti Irani on Monday described Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as “confused” and said he was no match to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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"The sentence is disproportionate to the alleged offence. Not only is the accused sentenced to two years’ imprisonment but also a fine has been imposed upon him."
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