Rahul Gandhi Reinstated; Cong Backs Him As Key Speaker In No-Trust Motion Debate in Parliament

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Monday, was reinstated as an MP in the parliament, following a stay by the Supreme Court on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark.

Rahul Gandhi is making a comeback in the Lok Sabha, as a representative of his constituency Wayanad. Rahul’s return comes at a time when repeated disruptions was witnessed in the parliament over the Opposition alliance INDIA's demand for a concerted discussion on the Manipur violence, with opening remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.

After his membership was restored, the Congress stated that he should be a key speaker in the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Modi government, which is likely to be taken up in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore remarked that Rahul Gandhi is preferred to participate in the discussion on the no-confidence motion as he has visited Manipur and it is expected that he will be better able to present the facts related to Manipur in the Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as a Lok Sabha member came on March 24, with effect from March 23, after a court in Gujarat convicted him in a defamation case, sentencing him to two years in jail.

Convention says that a punishment of two years and above automatically disqualifies a lawmaker.

Elated at Rahul’s reinstatement, alliance party leaders of INDIA were seen celebrating the occasion with sweets.

The Congress party also included the official notification from the Lok Sabha Secretariat in a tweet on X, calling it a “Victory of love against hate”.

A tweet by senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said it was "a victory for justice and for our democracy".

"With enormous relief, welcome the official announcement of @RahulGandhi's reinstatement. He can now resume his duties in the Lok Sabha to serve the people of India and his constituents in Wayanad. A victory for justice and for our democracy!" he tweeted.

The Supreme Court, while ordering a stay on Rahul Gandhi's conviction on Friday, had maintained that even though his remarks were not in good taste as a public figure, his disqualification from parliament would affect his constituents of Wayanad.

The top court had also observed that it would not have attracted disqualification as an MP if the trial judge had awarded a day lesser than the maximum sentence of two years in the case. "The ramifications of disqualification not just affects the rights of the individual but also the electorate," the SC judges said.

Mr Gandhi was disqualified from Parliament in May after he was handed a two-year jail term in a defamation case for his comments ostensibly targetting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname. In a dig at PM Modi at a rally in Karnataka's Kolar ahead of the 2019 general election, Mr Gandhi had remarked, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" At that time, Nirav Modi and others with a similar surname were making headlines after decamping abroad with thousands of crores from banks. They are still to be brought to justice.

After getting a reprieve from the apex court, Mr Gandhi is unapologetic, as he has been throughout. He tweeted, "Come what may, my duty remains the same. Protect the idea of India".

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