- Thursday, April 25, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday (23) lashed out Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after the latter was convicted by a court in the western state of Gujarat in a 2019 defamation case over his alleged remarks about the surname of prime minister Narendra Modi.
The court in Surat granted Gandhi bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court
Law minister Kiren Rijiju said Gandhi’s remarks harmed his own party as its leaders were worried that the party’s fortunes were sinking.
“Whatever Rahul Gandhi says causes harm. It causes harm not only to the party but also to others. It is not good for the nation,” Rijiju told reporters in New Delhi.
Former central minister Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Gandhi of insulting an entire community and not just one surname, referring to his alleged “how come all thieves have Modi as the surname?” remark made at a rally in the southern state of Karnataka ahead of the 2019 general elections.
“Modis are a community, not just a surname. They are sportsmen, politicians, doctors, and businessmen. If you brand a certain surname as thieves, then it is clearly defamatory. Rahul Gandhi said he believes in truth and nonviolence. Does believing in truth and nonviolence means you will insult the people and give caste-related abuses?” he was quoted as saying by NDTV
BJP parliamentarian in the Rajya Sabha or Upper Chamber of the parliament Sushil Modi, who has also been the deputy chief minister of the northern state of Bihar, slammed Gandhi, He said he too had felt insulted by the Congress leader’s remarks.
“I too had filed a case against Rahul Gandhi in a Patna court. I hope I will get justice,” he said.
BJP parliamentarian from West Bengal Dilip Ghose told the news oulet, “One person does childish things repeatedly and gets slammed by the court. I think more cases will expose him in the future. Maturity comes with time. But despite being a four-time MP and a former Congress president, he does not understand what he should say and what he shouldn’t.”
Leaders of the Congress and opposition such as the Aam Aadmi Party came out in solidarity with the convicted leader who tweeted a quote by Mahatma Gandhi in response to his conviction.
“My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, non-violence the means to get it,” he said in one tweet.
Paying a tribute to Indian revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru in another post, Gandhi said, “Holding the hem of truth and courage, fighting fearlessly for the country, we have learned from these brave sons of Mother India. Long live the revolution.”
Gandhi’s sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is also a party official, said the former will not be afraid and continue to “speak the truth”.
“The entire machinery of the rattled regime is trying to suppress the voice of Rahul Gandhi by any and all means. My brother has never been afraid, nor will he ever be. He has lived by the truth and will continue speaking the truth. He will continue to raise the voice of the people of the country. The power of truth and the love of crores of countrymen are with him,” she was quoted as saying by the NDTV.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, “We had an inkling of it from the way Rahul Gandhi was being repeatedly summoned. When BJP points a finger at others, four other fingers point at itself.”
Senior Congress leader and former chief minister of the central state of Madhya Pradesh Digvijaya Singh said it’s a matter of concern that it becomes a defamation issue even if someone iterates the ‘Modi’ surname.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged it was a “conspiracy” to finish off the Opposition.
“There is a conspiracy to finish the Opposition leaders and parties. There is a conspiracy to file cases against the leaders of non-BJP parties. I have differences with Rahul Gandhi, but trapping him in a defamation case is not right. I respect the court, but don’t agree with the verdict,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
