'Fighting for the voice of India', says Rahul Gandhi hours after being disqualified as MP

Police in southern Indian state of Kerala had to resort to baton charge to control Kerala Youth Congress who were holding a protest march to state governor's official residence, reported ANI. Congress workers in several Indian states have taken to streets to protest disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the Indian parliament.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lashed out at BJP-led government and said that it was "rattled" by questions raised by Rahul Gandhi on Adani issue, apparently suggesting that disqualification was a retaliatory measure.

She made a series of tweets.

"One of your Chief Ministers raised the question that who is the father of Rahul Gandhi? Following the custom of Kashmiri Pandits, a son wears a turban after his father's death, maintaining his family's tradition. Insulting the whole family and the Kashmiri Pandit community, you asked in Parliament why they don't keep Nehru name...but no judge gave you a sentence of two years.You were not disqualified from Parliament.... Rahul ji like a true patriot raised questions on Adani.

"Raised questions on Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.... Has your friend Gautam Adani become bigger than the country's parliament and the people of India that you were rattled when his loot was questioned? You call my family dynastic, know, this family has shed blood for India's democracy...who you are trying to destroy (politically)"

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that he was "stunned" the rapidity which which the decision to disqualify Rahul Gandhi was taken.

"I was stunned by this decision and particularly by the unseemly haste with which it was carried out. The lawyers will certainly be questioning this. It sends a very poor signal to the world about Indian democracy when the leader of the principal opposition party is treated in this way.  You can't muzzle voices in a democracy and still call yourself democratic," Tharoor told ANI

According a report by PTI, Congress in West Bengal on Friday said that it will put up rail and road blockades against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday (March 25).

"The BJP is resorting to vengeful politics since Rahul Gandhi was raising issues in the interest of the youth and the downtrodden of the country," said state Congress leader Ashutosh Chatterjee as per PTI. 

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who belongs to the Congress party, was disqualified from parliament on Friday (March 24) after a court found him guilty in a 2019 defamation case. On Thursday, a Surat court sentenced Gandhi to two years imprisonment in the defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark made in April 2019 during a Lok Sabha election rally in the state of Karnataka. 

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After his disqualification as an MP, on Friday, Rahul Gandhi may have to vacate his official bungalow in Lutyens' Delhi if he does not get relief from a higher court in the criminal defamation case an official said to PTI. The Congress leader had been allotted the 12, Tughlaq Lane bungalow after his election as a Lok Sabha MP in 2004 which he might have to leave within a month. 

"As he has been disqualified from Lok Sabha, he is not entitled to a government accommodation. According to rules, he will have to vacate his official bungalow within a month since the date of disqualification order", said an official from the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry to PTI. 

Addressing a press conference following the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged that he is paying the speaking "fearlessly" both inside and outside the Parliament. 

He added, "Clearly, he is paying a price for it. The government is rattled. This government is finding new techniques to throttle his voice".

The Congress leader also said that the party is confident that it will get a stay of the conviction which will remove the very basis of this disqualification. "We have full faith in the law. We believe we will emerge victorious in the near future", said Singhvi. 

Post Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Parliament Congress, senior party leaders have called in a meeting at 5 pm today.

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: Congress MP KC Venugopal

India's opposition leader and Congress party member s Rahul Gandhi has been disqualified as a Member of Lok Sabha (Parliament's lower house) lower from the date of his conviction in the criminal defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark, March 23.

Delhi High Court seeks response of NCPCR 9National Commission for Protection of Child Rights) on a plea filed against Rahul Gandhi in relation to his tweet reportedly revealing the identity of the relatives of a rape and murder victim in 2021, reports ANI news agency.

Earlier NCPCR submitted before Delhi HC that "we (NCPCR) want to support and joint hand with petitioner in the matter". The submissions came during the hearing of PIL seeking directions to Twitter and the Delhi Police to take action against Rahul Gandhi's tweet allegedly revealing the identity of the relatives of a rape and murder victim in 2021.

Congress state president of Karnataka, DK Shivakumar and many other party leaders have been detained by the police for protesting against the Surat court's verdict on Rahul Gandhi.

Cabinet Minister Bhupender Yadav is the latest to accuse Rahul Gandhi of insulting the OBC community. Speaking to news agency ANI, he said, "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."

The opposition parties will also try and meet President Droupadi Murmu on Friday afternoon to raise the matter of Rahul Gandhi's sentencing in the defamation case.

Besides the Congress, senior leaders of parties such as the DMK, National Conference, RSP, VCK, JDU, CPI(M), SP, SS, IUML, AAP and CPI attended the meeting at Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Kharge's office inside Parliament complex.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday held a meeting with opposition leaders over Rahul Gandhi's sentencing in a defamation case. He deliberated on the strategy going forward in the wake of the conviction in a 2019 defamation case.