Rahul Gandhi defamation case: In the wake of the Surat court's verdict against Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party is holding a meeting with other opposition leaders today (March 24) in New Delhi. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the party would also stage a protest march from Parliament House to Vijay Chowk after the meeting.
He further said that the Opposition parties have also sought time from President Droupadi Murmu on Friday afternoon to raise the matter with her. Meanwhile, the grand old party had also decided to hold protests across Delhi and other states on Monday (March 27) over the Surat court's 'erroneous' judgment against the Wayanad MP.
"We will hold protests across Delhi and in other states on Monday on this issue. The matter is just not a legal issue, but also a serious political issue linked with the future of democracy in the country," Ramesh said.
Congress accuses Modi govt of doing politics of 'vendetta'
Speaking further, the AICC general Secretary also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government, accusing it of indulging in politics of vendetta. "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 added.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal also said that the party is planning to hold a solidarity march against the Surat court's verdict. "We have analyzed the situation. The verdict was so unfortunate as far as Congress Party is concerned. We will do a solidarity march for Congress Party. We are seeking an appointment with the President," he added.
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'Teli' community leaders demand apology from Rahul Gandhi
Meanwhile, BJP functionaries from the 'Teli' caste and leaders of the community have demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi for his "defamatory" remark against people with 'Modi' surname, following his conviction by a Gujarat court. They also warned of agitation against the Congress leader. Notably, the 'Modi' surname largely belongs to people from the 'Teli' community, who are part of the Other Backward Classes.
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Surat court sentences Rahul Gandhi to 2 years in jail
It should be mentioned here that a court in Gujarat's Surat sentenced Congress leader Gandhi to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his "Modi surname" remarks.
However, soon after the court granted him bail and a time period of 30 days to appeal against the quantum of punishment. According to the information, the case was filed against Gandhi for his alleged “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” He stated this while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Notably, the complaint against his remarks was lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi.
(With inputs from agencies)
