Amid the row that erupted after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification, veteran leader Shashi Tharoor claimed the decision was not "court-oriented" but "politically motivated". While exclusively to India TV on Sunday, Tharoor asserted that the former Congress MP had not addressed the whole "Modi community" but named only three-- PM Narendra Modi and Nirav Modi.
Notably, his critical remarks came nearly two days after Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha Friday, a day after a court in Gujarat's Surat convicted him in a 2019 defamation case. The disqualification will bar Gandhi (52), a four-time MP, from contesting polls for eight years unless a higher court stays his conviction.
"This is not such a big matter that BJP is projecting. Despite this, he was awarded a maximum sentence of two years," he said in a conversation with India TV.
"Gandhi's family should be treated differently by law"
Earlier on Saturday, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari defended Gandhi and demanded a "special law" for him. While backing Rahul, the Congress leader said that his family had a history of sacrifice for the country and hence the government should bring special laws in terms of sentencing the Gandhian family.
While speaking to media persons on Saturday, the Congress leader from Mirzapur asserted that the court should have granted minimum punishment to Rahul amid the fact his ancestor had sacrificed their lives for the nation. Further, he alleged that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) was scared of the "theft". Notably, he was pointing fingers at the recent data published by Hindenburg Research against the billionaire Gautam Adani.
'I am Gandhi not Savarkar'
A reporter asked him why does he not apologise for his speech at a UK University as demanded by BJP, he said, "My name is not Savarkar, it is Gandhi and Gandhi never apologises." He further said, "Let me speak in the Parliament. I asked to speak in the Parliament, twice I asked wrote to the speaker while a third time I presented myself physically." "I asked the Speaker to let me speak but he said it is not in my hands, then who has the power if not him?", Gandhi said. He further said, "Shall I ask Modiji but he will not allow me to speak."
"So, my point is that, democracy is finished in this country, people cannot speak what is on their minds, institutions in this country are being attacked and the mechanism of that attack is the relationship between Narendra Modi and Adani," the Congress leader said. In his remarks at the presser, Gandhi said he will keep asking questions on the Adani issue.
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi disqualification row: Congress workers block Delhi-Jaipur Highway, burn tyres
Watch full interview here:
Tharoor
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