A day after the Supreme Court stayed the conviction of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Modi surname defamation case, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday alleged that all the opposition leaders are being harassed in one way or the other. However, he said that the one who fights wins.
'The one who fights wins'
"Yesterday was a historic day. We welcome the SC's decision. Not just Rahul Gandhi but all the opposition leaders are being harassed in one way or the other. But the one who fights wins," he said.
Rahul Gandi met Lalu Prasad Yadav
Earlier on Friday, Rahul Gandhi met RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in Delhi and discussed a host of issues, including the way forward for opposition bloc INDIA, sources said. Rahul Gandhi met Lalu Prasad Yadav at RJD MP Misa Bharti's residence. Tejashwi Yadav was also present during the meeting.
SC stayed conviction of Rahul Gandhi
Gandhi got a huge relief from the Supreme Court after it stayed his conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his Modi surname remark and paved the way for his reinstatement as a member of the Lok Sabha.
A three-judge bench of Justices B R Gavai, P S Narasimha and Sanjay Kumar said no doubt that the utterances were not in good taste and that a person in public life is expected to exercise caution while making public speeches. The Supreme Court made some serious observations in its verdict, both on the Gujarat trial court and Rahul Gandhi.
The top court said that the ramifications of the trial court’s order are wide. “Not only was Gandhi’s right to continue in public life affected but also that of the electorate who elected him,” SC said. It further said that the trial court judge gave no reason for imposing a maximum sentence.
“No reason has been given by trial court judge for imposing maximum sentence, order of conviction needs to be stayed pending final adjudication,” SC said.
After the verdict, Rahul Gandhi’s membership in Lok Sabha, which was suspended by Speaker Om Birla, can now be restored. This implies that the Congress leader can now contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which is a huge boost for the party with less than a year to go before the elections.
