Rahul Gandhi Disqualified As MP After Conviction In 'Modi Surname' Case By Surat Court: Kapil Sibal

Noted lawyer and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal has said that Rahul Gandhi automatically stands disqualified as MP after his conviction by the Surat court.

New Delhi: Noted lawyer and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal has said that Congress MP stands automatically disqualified as a Member of Parliament after his conviction by a court in Gujarat’s Surat in a criminal defamation case for his derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi, who currently represents the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, now stands disqualified, as per the law, said former party leader Kapil Sibal. "If it (the court) only suspends the sentence that's not enough. There has to be a suspension or stay of conviction. He (Rahul Gandhi) can stay on as a member of parliament only if there is a stay on the conviction," Sibal told a private news channel. 

It may be recalled that the Congress leader was convicted by a court in Gujarat over his “Why all thieves have Modi surname” jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the Surat district court. He was later granted bail and given 30 days' time to file an appeal. 

Rahul Gandhi’s conviction has triggered a strong buzz on social media about whether he will be disqualified as a member of Lok Sabha now.

Congress Plans Mass Agitation, To Meet President Murmu 

Meanwhile, Congress has decided to take to the streets against Rahul Gandhi's conviction and meet the President of India with other parties. 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.

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.

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 on Friday afternoon to raise the matter with her.

Ramesh said the meeting at Kharge's residence lasted around two hours and it was decided that the Party chief would hold a meeting with all Pradesh Congress chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders in the evening and plan agitations in states.

"We will hold protests across Delhi and in other states on Monday on this issue," Ramesh said. 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.

"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.

His Congress colleague KC Venugopal also said that the party has analyzed the situation. "The verdict was so unfortunate as far as Congress Party is concerned. We will do a solidarity march for Congress Party. From day 1 onwards when Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of Adani, the Government of India side has been trying to stop him. They don’t want Rahul Gandhi to speak in Parliament. They are varying all options to stop his voice," said Venugopal.

The Congress general secretary said that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party will continue to speak on the Adani issue. "All opposition parties are getting suppressed. I am happy that parties are showing solidarity with Rahul Gandhi," said Venugopal.