As a result of his conviction by a Surat court on March 23 in a criminal defamation case related to his ‘Modi surname’ remark, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha, effective from the date of the conviction.
“Rahul Gandhi… stands disqualified from the member of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction,” a notice from the national parliament said on Friday.
On Thursday, Gandhi was found guilty in a criminal defamation case for his comments about the “Modi surname” and was sentenced to two years in prison. However, the court granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to give him time to appeal to a higher court. BJP MLA Purnesh Modi filed a complaint against Gandhi for his alleged statement, “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?”
On Friday, the Wayanad MP made a brief appearance in the Lok Sabha, which was adjourned for an hour shortly after it began for the day. The Congress party has labeled the verdict as politically motivated and accused the government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for it.
