Congress meets 'in black' to chalk out today's Parliament strategy
The Congress on Monday morning reportedly convened a meeting of its Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs at the party's parliamentary office to plan their strategy for the day. The grand old party leaders were asked to wear "black attires," in tune with the opposition's "black clothes" protest launched in the Parliament against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha disqualification.
Why does this story matter?
This development comes days after Gandhi was last month convicted and sentenced to two years of imprisonment in a 2019 defamation case over his "Modi surname" remarks by the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma in Surat. As a result, the former Wayanad MP was expelled from the Lok Sabha on March 24, triggering a nationwide political row.
Reason behind Congress's meeting
At the meeting on Monday, which was scheduled for 10:30 am, the Congress was expected to outline the day's strategy ahead of the resumption of the Parliament session at 11 am. To note, parliamentary proceedings have been continuously adjourned over the past week due to the opposition's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the Adani Group-Hindenburg Research controversy and Gandhi's disqualification.
Know about opposition's 'black clothes' protest
To recall, opposition party leaders turned up in black attires for the March 27 Parliament session to protest Gandhi's Lok Sabha disqualification. Explaining the reason behind this protest, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the black clothes signaled the "end of democracy" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's India. Furthermore, Kharge alleged that the Modi government was also influencing independent bodies and probe agencies.
Want to show Modi is ending democracy: Kharge
"Why are we here in black clothes? We want to show that PM Modi is ending democracy in the country," Kharge told ANI last week. He added, "He first finished autonomous bodies, then they put up their own government everywhere...threatening those who had won polls. Then they used the [Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)] to bend those who didn't bow."
Gandhi moves Surat court against conviction in defamation case
The Congress's Monday meeting comes on the day of Gandhi's appearance in a Surat court to appeal against his conviction in the 2019 defamation case. According to ANI, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be accompanying the former Wayanad MP for his appearance in court. On Sunday, Gandhi reportedly met his mother, Sonia Gandhi, at a hotel in Delhi and spoke to her for nearly hours.
Consequences of Gandhi's conviction in defamation case
It is worth noting that the Election Commission of India (ECI) will likely announce a bypoll for Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha seat soon, which fell vacant after the conviction of Gandhi, unless a higher court puts the magistrate order on hold. Furthermore, the former Congress president will be unable to contest elections for the next eight years if the order is not set aside.
Gandhi's remarks that led to defamation case
While addressing a gathering in Karnataka's Kolar district in 2019, Gandhi said, "Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi... How come all the thieves have Modi as a common surname?" Following this, Surat (West) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Purnesh Modi took offense and filed a complaint, alleging that the Congress leader had defamed the Modi community.
