Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's membership of Parliament was restored on Monday. The news about the restoration of Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership triggered celebrations among Congress workers. Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was seen feeding laddu to party president Mallikarjun Kharge at the party office where other senior leaders from I.N.D.I.A were also present.
Earlier, 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 Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad.
The stay which will also enable Gandhi, 53, to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was given on the grounds the trial court in Surat in Gujarat failed to explain why he deserved the maximum two-year punishment upon his conviction that led to his disqualification from the Lower House of Parliament. The top court also noted that the sentence would not have attracted disqualification had it been a day lesser.
Observing that the utterances of Gandhi were not in good taste and a person in public life is expected to exercise caution while making public speeches, the court at the same time said his conviction and subsequent disqualification not only affected his right to continue in public life but also that of the electorate which elected him to represent their constituency.
Gandhi to speak on no-confidence motion
"We want that Rahul Gandhi should speak on the 'no-confidence motion' against the government in the Lok Sabha," Chowdhury told reporters. The discussion on the motion will be taken up from August 8 to 10. Congress spokesperson and Gandhi's counsel Abhishek Singhvi said Gandhi's voice for the cause of the people will soon be heard in Parliament.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra cited a quote by Gautam Buddha - "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." She thanked the apex court on Twitter for the decision and wrote "Satyameva Jayate".
Reacting to the verdict, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said Parliament "can do with some levity for now" but the Congress leader continues to be on thin ice as several other criminal defamation cases are pending against him.
"Rahul Gandhi may have survived this one but for how long?" The top court was hearing a plea by Gandhi challenging the Gujarat High Court verdict which dismissed his plea seeking a stay on his conviction in the criminal defamation case filed by Purnesh Modi, a BJP MLA from Surat.
(With PTI inputs)
Also read: Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership restored after SC decision, see notification here
