Congress protest over Rahul's Lok Sabha disqualification enters Day 2
The Lok Sabha will meet for the first time on Monday since the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as the protest by the party over the issue entered the second day. Terming the episode a dictatorial move by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an attempt to silence a "martyr's son," Congress leaders held demonstrations across the country.
Why does this story matter?
Gandhi stands disqualified as a Lok Sabha member following his conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his statement, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" The BJP had previously moved to have Gandhi removed from Parliament, accusing him of defaming India with his recent remarks in the United Kingdom (UK) about the BJP government's alleged suppression of dissent.
Congress workers protest across country
Reportedly, opposition MPs have planned to wear black clothes to Parliament in protest on Monday. On Sunday, the Congress held protests in Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Telangana. Several party leaders in Ahmedabad were detained for holding a demonstration. Puducherry Congress workers have also announced they will observe a day-to-dawn fast on Monday in protest against Gandhi's disqualification.
BJP insults Nehru-Gandhi family every day: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
The Congress also held a daylong protest outside Delhi's Rajghat on Sunday after the police denied it permission to protest at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial. They set up a platform outside the memorial and held a Sankalp Satyagrah, where party chief and Rajya Sabha's Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the BJP of insulting the Nehru-Gandhi family.
'BJP scared of Rahul exposing its nexus with Adani Group'
"You call my brother, the son of a martyr, a traitor and Mir Jafar. You insult his mother. Your chief minister says Rahul Gandhi doesn't know who his mother is. You insult my family every day. But no cases are filed," Gandhi Vadra said, attacking the BJP. She also claimed Gandhi was exposing the nexus between the BJP government and the Adani Group.
BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi of insulting OBCs
The BJP, on the other hand, has accused Congress of insulting the Constitution and the law under which Gandhi was disqualified. The party leaders accused Gandhi of insulting Other Backward Classes (OBC) with his remark about the Modi surname. Reacting to this, Congress leaders asked whether any of the fugitives—Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, or Mehul Choksi—were OBCs.
