The Congress party is currently staging a nationwide day-long satyagraha in protest of the disqualification of their leader, Rahul Gandhi, from serving in the Lok Sabha. Despite being denied permission by the police to protest at Raj Ghat due to concerns over law and order and traffic, the party’s president and general secretary are leading the satyagraha in Delhi. However, the Raj Ghat area is now heavily policed and large gatherings are not permitted.
The Congress party has described the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, who has been the factor leader of the main opposition party for almost ten years and a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as a “plot” to silence the leader. Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi criticized the Prime Minister for his disqualification and stated that he is not Savarkar and will not apologize. He intends to continue raising his voice and will not be deterred by disqualification or punishment.
On Friday, Mr. Gandhi was disqualified by a Gujarat court for defamation after making remarks on the campaign trail in 2019 that were perceived as offensive to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the whole Modi community. He was granted bail by the judge and given 30 days to file an appeal with a higher court. His attorneys have vowed to challenge the decision in a higher court.
In addition to his disqualification, Mr. Gandhi’s constituency in Wayanad, Kerala, was declared vacant by the Lok Sabha Secretariat. The Election Commission may now declare a special election for the position.
