India’s Congress launches protest over Rahul Gandhi’s parliament disqualification

Record ID: 1717301

  • Title: India’s Congress launches protest over Rahul Gandhi’s parliament disqualification
  • Date: 26th March 2023
  • Summary: NEW DELHI, INDIA (MARCH 26, 2023) (ANI - No use India) VARIOUS OF LEADERS AND MEMBERS OF INDIA'S OPPOSITION CONGRESS PARTY SITTING ON STAGE DURING PROTEST OVER DISQUALIFICATION OF RAHUL GANDHI FROM PARLIAMENT SCION OF INDIA'S NEHRU-GANDHI FAMILY PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA (CENTRE) AND CONGRESS PARTY PRESIDENT MALLIKARJUN KHARGE (LEFT) AND OTHERS SEATED ON STAGE LEADERS AND MEMBERS OF INDIA'S OPPOSITION CONGRESS PARTY SITTING ON STAGE PEOPLE WAVING AS LEADERS STAND TO WELCOME PRIYANKA GANDHI TO SPEAK (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) SCION OF INDIA'S NEHRU-GANDHI FAMILY AND CONGRESS LEADER, PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA, SAYING: "The (ruling) Bhartiya Janata Party and its leaders who think they can scare and threaten us and think that they can misuse the several government agencies to launch (false) probes and raid us...if they think they will scare us, they are wrong. We are not going to get scared." CONGRESS PARTY SUPPORTERS AT PROTEST SITE (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) SCION OF INDIA'S NEHRU-GANDHI FAMILY AND CONGRESS LEADER, PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA, SAYING: "The prime minister of this country is a coward and you can file a case against me for saying this and send me to jail. However, the truth is the prime minister of this country is a coward." PRIYANKA GANDHI SPEAKING KHARGE THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, INDIA (MARCH 26, 2023) (ANI - No use India) (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) CONGRESS PARTY LEADER, PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA, SAYING: "Do you believe that it is good for our democracy when the principal opposition leader and even 'a' principal opposition leader is not allowed to raise his voice in parliament? Is it good for our democracy when you are talking about jailing a principal opposition figure in a country where we have a prime minister who speaks to the world about India is the mother of democracy? I really ask our public, is this good for our country? Let's forget party politics, let's forget everything else...what is good for our country? And to my mind what is absolutely clear is that this is damaging India." BHUBANESWAR, ODISHA, INDIA (MARCH 26, 2023) (ANI - No use India) MEMBERS AND WORKERS OF CONGRESS PARTY SITTING DURING PROTEST
  • Embargoed: 9th April 2023 14:03
  • Keywords: BJP Congress protest India Narendra Modi NewDelhi Rahul Gandhi bail conviction court defamation disqualified protests
  • Location: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA/MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA/ BHUBANESWAR, ODISHA/ CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI, INDIA
  • City: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA/MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA/ BHUBANESWAR, ODISHA/ CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI, INDIA
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001I3S5U8F
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: PART AUDIO AS INCOMING
    India's Congress Party launched a country-wide protest on Sunday (March 26) as parliament disqualified its leader, Rahul Gandhi after a court convicted him of defamation for comments that many deemed insulting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
    Gandhi, who represented India's main opposition Congress party in parliament, lost his seat on Friday (March 24), a day after a court in the western state of Gujarat convicted him in a defamation case and sentenced him to two years in jail.
    Protesting this move, the Congress staged a 'Satyagrah' or a nonviolent passive resistance, incpired by India's freedom leader Mahatma Gandhi, across the country.
    The scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family and leader of the Congress party, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, criticised Modi and reiterated that the party will not get scared of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
    "The prime minister of this country is a coward and you can file a case against me for saying this and send me to jail. However, the truth is the prime minister of this country is a coward," said Vadra as she criticised Modi for her brother's disqualification.
    The court granted Rahul Gandhi bail and suspended his jail sentence for 30 days allowing him to appeal.
    The defamation case was filed in connection with comments Gandhi made in a speech that many deemed insulting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi's party and its allies have criticized the court ruling as politically motivated.
    Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (March 25) said that he is not bothered by the disqualification from parliament, adding he will continue to defend the democratic voice of the Indian people.
    Gandhi also said that he will continue to question the ties between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Adani group of companies, which have recently come under scrutiny after a report by short-seller Hindenburg Research.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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