Congress yet to appeal against Rahul Gandhi's conviction, BJP sees ‘conspiracy’
1 min read 24 Mar 2023, 09:53 PM ISTRahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha following his conviction by a Gujarat court on Friday, with Opposition leaders accusing the BJP of ‘vindictive politics’. Leaders of the ruling party however said there was a ‘conspiracy’ within Congress to ‘get rid of Rahul Gandhi’.
PremiumTwo days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was convicted by a Surat court and sentenced to two years in prison, the party is yet to appeal the verdict. The senior politician was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on Friday, with Congress leaders assuring that they would fight the battle both ‘legally’ and ‘politically’. The BJP meanwhile contends that there was a ‘conspiracy’ within the party with some people wishing to ‘get rid of Rahul Gandhi’.
“You (Rahul Gandhi) have to dig into the matter and find out who formed this well-planed conspiracy to get rid of you…There are a battery of lawyers as members of Congress, isn't there anyone left to give right advice?" Thakur asked at a press conference on Friday evening.
Addressing the presser alongside fellow union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, he also suggested that this ‘conspiracy’ might be the reason why the party's leaders had so far refrained from appealing Gandhi's conviction. He also wondered whether the former party chief was deliberately put on the “wrong path".
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Top Congress leaders including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and his predecessor Sonia Gandhi had assembled at 6 pm for a meeting at the party headquarters. Gandhi's disqualification was at the top of the agenda, with the party mulling strategies and plans for agitation.
But while many have called for Opposition unity to counter the disqualification, others held a divergent stance.
“Democracy is in danger in India. So all those parties must forget their differences. First thing's first, we must protect our democracy and our Constitution. So, all opposition parties must unite and we must fight against this mischievous move by the present government," appealed senior party leader AK Antony.
His son Anil Antony, however, opined that the Congress should stop focusing on the "gaffes of an individual" and instead work on issues of the country.
Meanwhile, forty opposition MPs - including those from the Congress - were detained on Friday as they took out a protest march from Parliament House. They alleged that democracy was in "danger" and demanded a JPC probe into the Adani issue.
(With inputs from agencies)
