Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party for remarks over Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Surat for an appeal against his conviction, and said that the saffron party has a problem with anything that the former MP does.
Chowdhury said that Rahul Gandhi will not bow down before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “On one side, the BJP says why does Rahul Gandhi not go to the judiciary for his case, and when he does, the BJP has a problem with it. Rahul Gandhi has said that he will not get afraid.
He will not bow down before Amit Shah, Modi. He will go before the judiciary itself,” the Congress MP said.
Earlier today, BJP spokesman Sambit Patra remarked in a press conference, “Rahul Gandhi, his family members, CMs Ashok Gehlot & Bhupesh Baghel are going to Surat & will be creating mayhem in the name of appealing (against the 2-year sentence) verdict. What’s the need for this ruckus?”
Speaking on the violence in West Bengal, Chowdhury said, “TMC and BJP are doing politics of polarization and this is leading to communal violence in Bengal…CM says action will be taken but nothing is being done.”
While Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “When BJP realises it is getting weakened, then they incite riots and polarise people. It is the deed of BJP.”
Earlier today, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived at the residence of Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi will on Monday file an appeal in the Sessions court in Gujarat’s Surat against his conviction and a two-year jail sentence in a criminal defamation case.
Congress expects that the court will take up the matter today itself. According to sources, Rahul Gandhi is expected to reach court at around 3 pm.
The former MP from Wayanad was convicted and sentenced to two years in hail by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Varma on March 23 in a defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark in 2019 in Karnataka.
According to sources, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi will accompany the former MP to court.
Besides Priyanka, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel along with Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi are likely to accompany Rahul Gandhi. Also, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole and CLP leader Balasaheb Thorat are expected to join the group.
The defamation case was filed against Gandhi by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi for saying “How come all thieves have the common surname Modi?”
After the Surat court’s verdict, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Lok Sabha following his conviction in the case.
Congress has protested aggressively against Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification inside the Parliament as well as outside it. Congress along with other opposition parties had held a ‘black dress’ protest against the government over Rahul Gandhi and Adani issue. They had marched from the Parliament complex towards Vijay Chowk together in an attempt to show unity.
Rahul Gandhi also received an eviction notice from the Lok Sabha secretariat, to which he said that he would abide by the notice.
Congress MPs will hold a meeting at 10.30 am in the Congress Parliamentary Party office to chalk out strategy for the day. The party MPs have been asked to wear black clothes during the meeting.
After the disqualification of Rahul’s membership from the Lok Sabha, the Congress has been vocal in protests all over the country. The grand old party has been making an effort to rally like-minded Opposition players around it in the wake of Rahul’s loss of membership from the Lower House.