Indian parliament adjourned after raucous protests by opposition over Rahul Gandhi's expulsion

Both houses of the Indian parliament were adjourned on Monday after the opposition lodged strong protests over the expulsion of Indian National Congress (INC) leader Rahul Gandhi. Speaker Om Birla, presiding over the lower house Lok Sabha said he wanted to run the House with dignity and adjourned the proceedings.

Before the commencement of the morning session, opposition MPsparticipated in a meeting held in the chamber of Leader of Opposition Rajya Sabha and Congres chiefMallikarjun Kharge.

"I thank everyone who supported this. That is why, I thanked everyone yesterday and I thank them today as well. We welcome anyone who comes forward to protect democracy and Constitution and safeguard the people. We extend heartfelt gratitude to the people who support us," Kharge told reporters after the meeting.

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Last week, a city court in Suratconvicted Rahul Gandhiin a criminal defamation case filed against him for his alleged 'Modi surname' remarks.The court sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail while imposing a fine of Rs 15,000 ($183), under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 (defamation), 500 (punishment for defamation).

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Gandhimade the alleged remarks while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

“Why all the thieves, be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi or Narendra Modi, have Modi in their names,” remarked the Congress leader.

After an appeal, his sentence was suspended and bail granted to move an appeal against the conviction in under 30 days. However, the very next day, theIndian parliament disqualified the Indian MP from Wayanad - a district in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

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"Consequent upon his conviction by the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Surat in C.C./18712/2019, Shri Rahul Gandhi, Member of the Lok Sabha constituency representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction, i.e. March 23, 2023," read the statement released byLok Sabha Secretariat.

Following his disqualification, Gandhi is not eligible able to contest elections for eight years unless a higher court stays his conviction and sentence.

Notably, the Wayanad MP is the scion of India's most famous political family -the Gandhi family. Despite coming from a privileged background, Gandhi has not been able to compete against the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP government. His disqualification ahead of the crucial 2024 general elections may hurt INC's chances of staging a comeback.

(With inputs from agencies)

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