Rahul Gandhi disqualified from Lok Sabha after court conviction over Modi surname remark

Parliament House's secretary general Utpal Kumar Singh issued a statement which reads, "Consequent upon his conviction by the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Surat... Shri Rahul Gandhi, Member of Lok Sabha representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction i.e. 23 March, 2023..."

Slamming the disqualification, Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "The ruling party's actions are making the ugly face of Indian politics visible.."

"Rahul Gandhi's crime was that he raised question on Modi-Adani terms. This is vindictive politics," Adhir added. 

Rahul was on Thursday convicted by a court in Gujarat's Surat city in a criminal defamation case over his past remark referring to the surname Modi.

Later, the Congress leader got bail.

He was convicted under the IPC Section 504.

Rahul might end up facing a maximum punishment of imprisonment for two years.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign, Rahul had said, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname."

A complaint, which was lodged by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Purnesh Modi, had claimed Rahul had defamed the entire Modi community.

Supporting Rahul, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, an arch-rival of the ruling BJP, tweeted, "In PM Modi’s New India, Opposition leaders have become the prime target of BJP!

"While BJP leaders with criminal antecedents are inducted into the cabinet, Opposition leaders are disqualified for their speeches. Today, we have witnessed a new low for our constitutional democracy."