Government is scared of questions: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as MP | HIGHLIGHTS

Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as MP before he could go for an appeal is death knell for democracy, says MK Stalin. 

Embattling Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will hold a press conference at AICC HQ, New Delhi at 1 PM tomorrow. Rahul Gandhi is at the centre of the politics after being disqualified by the Parliament as an MP.

"This government is scared of the questions being posed to it. This has been done as a part of planning to make sure Rahul Gandhi doesn't stay in Parliament...We are not scared, we will continue to fight," said Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as MP.

 No one is above the law, said BJP's Dharmendra Pradhan at a press conference. 

We all know that Rahul Gandhi has been speaking out fearlessly both inside and outside the Parliament. Clearly, he is paying a price for it. The government is rattled. This government is finding new techniques to throttle his voice: Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi

Senior leaders of the Congress's Maharashtra wing will be present at the meeting to plan a state-wide movement against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification. 

Rahul Gandhi's candidacy has been cancelled. Calling a thief, a thief has become a crime in our country. Thieves & looters are still free & Rahul Gandhi was punished. This is a direct murder of democracy. All govt systems are under pressure. This is the beginning of the end of dictatorship. Only the fight has to be given direction: Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray

"You can remove Rahul Gandhi from the seat of Parliament but it is impossible to remove him from the seat given in the heart of crores of Indians. I despise BJP's anti-democratic attitude," tweets Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar. 

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi arrives at Rahul Gandhi's residence. 

"The day Rahul Gandhi raised questions against Adani, PM, this type of conspiracy was started to silence Rahul Gandhi. It's a clear case of anti-democratic, dictatorship attitude of BJP govt," said Congress MP KC Venugopal. 

A day after being convicted in the 'Modi surname' defamation case, Rahul Gandhi on Friday was disqualified as a Member of Parliament. He was the MP from Wayanad constituency in Kerala. 

Heavy security was placed outside the Congress Headquarters in Delhi as party workers protest against the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in the criminal defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark.

Karnataka police detained Congress state president DK Shivakumar and other party leaders and workers who were protesting against the Surat Court verdict against Rahul Gandhi. 

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge refuted BJP chief J P Nadda's allegation that Rahul Gandhi compared OBC communities to thieves and accused the ruling party of indulging in "caste politics". Amid a political fight between the BJP and the Congress following Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case over the "Modi surname" remarks, Nadda alleged that "lies, personal slander and negative politics is integral" to his politics.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with Opposition leaders a day after the Surat Court sentenced him to 2 years in jail. 

Union Minister and BJP leader Bhupender Yadav said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has continuously insulted the surname of the OBC community. "Not only this he has defamed the nation on foreign soil. He is defaming Parliament, the OBC community and the Judiciary," he added. 

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said that robust political discourse is the essence of democracy and the law ought not to be set in motion to silence leading voices of the Opposition. "Robust political discourse is the essence of democracy. The law ought not to be set in motion to silence leading voices of the democratic Opposition," he tweeted, a day after Rahul Gandhi was sentenced by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case.

Congress Party to organize a march to Vijay Chowk to protest against the verdict sentencing party MP Rahul Gandhi to two years in a defamation case.

Congress has called an urgent meeting of its steering committee members, PCC presidents, CLP leaders and frontal organization chiefs at party headquarter in Delhi at 5 pm today. According to reports, the party president Mallikarjun Kharge will preside over the meeting.

The BJP claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also "failing legally" after a Gujarat court verdict held him guilty in a 2019 criminal defamation case. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Gandhi should consider what he says, particularly while using words that may be construed as being disrespectful about a community or person. "He (Gandhi) should be careful about the words and he should very categorically respect Indian tradition and the Indian Constitution, but unfortunately he is failing not only politically but also morally and constitutionally and this (the verdict) shows that he is also failing legally," Trivedi told reporters.

Lashing out at Congress over the Surat court's verdict on Rahul Gandhi, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi alleged that the remarks of its leaders show they have "scant respect" for the institutions of the country. The Minister accused the Congress of "raising fingers" at the judiciary while also attempting to "demean" its pride. He also described Gandhi as a "habitual offender".

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi can escape disqualification as a member of parliament if the appellate court suspends the conviction as well as the two-year jail term awarded to him by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his alleged "Modi surname" remarks, legal experts said. Senior lawyer and constitutional law expert Rakesh Dwivedi referred to the apex court's 2013 and 2018 judgements in the Lily Thomas and the Lok Prahari matters respectively and said suspension of sentence and stay of conviction were necessary to escape disqualification as a lawmaker under the Representation of the People (RP) Act.

The Indian Youth Congress held a symbolic protest near Shastri Bhawan here against the verdict of a Surat court sentencing Rahul Gandhi to two years of jail in a defamation case. The demonstration was in solidarity with Rahul Gandhi, said general secretary in-charge Delhi, Coco Padhi. Many activists of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) proceeded towards Shastri Bhawan from the Youth Congress office and organised 'Satyagraha' in a peaceful manner.

BJP functionaries from the 'Teli' caste and leaders of the community  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 an agitation against the Congress leader. The 'Modi' surname largely belongs to people from the 'Teli' community, who are part of the Other Backward Classes.

Congress staged a silent protest in Hyderabad against the Surat court sentencing Rahul Gandhi to two years imprisonment in a defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark made in 2019. Senior leaders of Telangana Congress, Youth Congress, National Students Union of India and party's Mahila Morcha staged silent protest in front of Gandhi Bhavan in the city.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has called all opposition parties’ MPs for a meeting today at 10 AM. Following the meeting, the Opposition parties are expected to walk to Vijay Chowk to protest against the Surat court's judgement. 

The Congress party stated that it will challenge the Surat court's "erroneous and unsustainable" judgement against Rahul Gandhi in a higher court. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the trial court has given a 170-page judgment that is still subject to translation and the party is working towards filing an appeal against it in a higher court.