Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Parliament echoes around the world, Shashi Tharoor tweets
1 min read 25 Mar 2023, 10:47 AM ISTRahul Gandhi disqualification: Yesterday, the great-grandson of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was disqualified as a Member of Parliament (MP) following his conviction over his remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi
PremiumVeteran Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has shared a collage of global media on their coverage of Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Parliament.
The collage comprises some of the big media organsisation such as Guardian Australia, The Washington Post, The New York Times, RFI, Telemundo, CNN Brasil, etc.
Shashi Throor's tweet is trying to reflect the popularity of Rahul Gandhi around the world. The Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram wrote, "They tried to silence a voice. Now every corner of the world hears the voice of India".
Yesterday, the great-grandson of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was disqualified as a Member of Parliament (MP) following his conviction over his remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Thursday, the Surat Court had convicted Rahul Gandhi of defamation and sentenced him to two years in prison for mocking the surname "Modi" in an election speech in Karnataka in 2019.
And on Friday, Gandhi was not allowed to enter the Lok Sabha. Parliament's lower house stated that as per the law Gandhi was disqualified therefore he cannot participate in parliamentary proceedings.
The move was widely condemned by opponent parties, including prominent leaders such as Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee, Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, as well as Samajwadi Party head Akhilesh Yadav.
As per the law, a criminal conviction and prison sentence of two years or more is grounds for expulsion from Parliament, but Gandhi is out on bail for 30 days and plans to appeal.
Meanwhile, PM Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party has dismissed the charges and termed the disqualification "lawful."
Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha has several possible ramifications. Gandhi could be barred from contesting elections for eight years and he may also lose his official bungalow in Lutyens' Delhi.
The former Congress president has been living in an official bungalow, located at 12, Tughlaq Lane, since it was allotted to him following his victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
Besides, the Election Commission can "technically" hold a by-poll in Wayanad, Kerala to fill the seat as more than one year is left for conducting general elections in 2024.
