Friday saw a walkout by the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in protest over Congressman Rahul Gandhi’s exclusion from the Lok Sabha.
Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha earlier in the day, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said, a day after a Surat court found him guilty of criminal defamation in 2019.
“We reject the decision to strip Rahul Gandhi of his right to serve in the Lok Sabha. Senior Congress leader Nana Patole said, “We made the decision to leave in protest.
The opposition members then demonstrated on the steps of Vidhan Bhavan, including MLAs from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena (UBT).
Atul Bhatkhalkar, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s legislative body, said that the former Congress-led UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government passed and the Government put into effect the rule that declares a member ineligible after a conviction.
He said, “The Congress MLAs staging a walkout is ludicrous.
In a defamation case brought by BJP Lawmaker Purnesh Modi for his claimed comment, “How come all criminals have Modi as the common surname?” a Surat court on Thursday sentenced Gandhi to two years in prison. The Lok Sabha Secretariat announced his disqualification on Friday and said that it took effect as of March 23, the day of his conviction.
Rahul Gandhi, Member of the Lok Sabha representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala, stands disqualified from the membership of the Lok Sabha as of the date of his conviction, or 23 March 2023, according to the notification. “Consequent upon his conviction by the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Surat…
Gandhi would be unable to run for office after being disqualified for eight years unless a higher court overturned his conviction and sentence.
