Rahul Gandhi defamation case live update: Congress says it will launch 'Jan-Andolan' across country over Rahul's disqualification

The Congress welcomed the statements of opposition leaders condemning Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha and said it was now time for the party to take on the job of building the opposition unity in a "systematic way". The grand old party also said it has been coordinating with various opposition parties in Parliament and now the coordination has to be outside the two Houses as well.

Activists of the Indian Youth Congress and the BJP's youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) on Friday clashed here following protests over Rahul Gandhi losing his Lok Sabha membership. Activists from both sides as well as some police personnel got injured as there was stone pelting, a police official said. Youth Congress workers allegedly blackened the posters of BJP leaders at the saffron party's office in Ekatma Parisar on Friday evening, he said.

The political slugfest over Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case intensified on Friday after the Congress leader was disqualified from Lok Sabha due to his sentencing. Congress alleged that there had been "unthinkable assaults" on the freedom of speech with people being told that they will face the worst possible consequences -- civil, criminal, incarceration, intimidation and harassment.

Forty opposition MPs, including those from the Congress, were detained on Friday as they took out a protest march from Parliament House, alleging that democracy is in "danger" and demanding a JPC probe into the Adani issue.Prominent leaders, including K C Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, K Suresh, Manickam Tagore, Imran Pratapgarhi and Mohammed Javed, were stopped by the police and detained at Vijay Chowk here for violating prohibitory orders, the opposition said.

"BJP is rattled by Bharat Jodo Yatra becoming a movement, Congress questioning on Adani issue. Congress welcomes statement of support of all opposition leaders, we should now take issue of opposition unity forward in systematic way," Jairam Ramesh said after Congress's strategy meeting.

The BJP on Friday suggested that a conspiracy within the Congress might have played a role in its leaders not approaching a higher court for relief for Rahul Gandhi after his conviction as it had done so in the case of Pawan Khera within hours of the Assam Police arresting him. "Law is equal for everyone," Pradhan told reporters at a press conference, accusing Gandhi of "abusing" backward castes with his "thieves" jibe aimed at "Modi surname".

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as Lok Sabha MP was against the basic tenets of the Constitution and was a "condemnable" move which highlighted the curtailment of democratic values, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said. The NCP chief also referred to the disqualification of his party MP from Lakshadweep Mohammed Faizal P P following the latter's conviction in an attempt to murder case. Faizal's conviction was later suspended by the Kerala high court.

"Today is a black day in the history of democracy in India, he said, adding that all those who want democracy to flourish should condemn the NDA government's misdeeds. He alleged that it was "blameworthy" that the Modi government was not only misusing Constitutional institutions but was also using Parliament, the apex platform for democracy, for its "despicable actions".

Holding a protest gathering in central Kolkata, the Congress in West Bengal on Friday said that it will put up rail and road blockades on Saturday against the disqualification of former party president Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha. Terming the disqualification as an example of the vengeful politics of the BJP, state Congress leader Ashutosh Chatterjee asserted that it is a “shameful act” on the part of the saffron party.

In a series of tweets, Priyanka Gandhi launched an all-out attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying in a tweet in Hindi, "Narendra Modi ji, your sycophants called the son of a martyred prime Minister a traitor, Mir Jafar. One of your chief minister raised questions as to who is the father of Rahul Gandhi? Following the custom of Kashmiri Pandits, a son wears 'pagdi' after his father's death, maintaining his family's tradition.""Insulting the whole family and the Kashmiri Pandit community, you asked in Parliament why we don't keep the name Nehru. But no judge gave you a sentence of two years. Did not disqualify you from the Parliament," she said.

Hours after his disqualification from Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said that he is fighting for the people of the country and is ready to pay any price for that. Meanwhile, BJP's Dharmendra Pradhan said that the Nehru-Gandhi family suffers from sense of entitlement and feudal mindset, it should know law equal for everyone.

Rahul used to say "unfortunately I am an MP". Now, he is free from his responsibilities, says Union minister Anurag Thakur

“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," the fiery TMC Supremo said in a tweet. "Today, we have witnessed a new low for our constitutional democracy,” Banerjee, added.

Congress on Friday condemned Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha and said that the party will "fight the battle legallyand politically." "We are confident that we will get a stay of the conviction which will remove the very basis of this disqualification. We have full faith in the law. We believe we will emerge victorious in the near future," Singhvi said while addressing a press conference.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from Lok Sabha on Friday, a day after he was convicted by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case.

Announcing his disqualification, the Lok Sabha Secretariat in a notification said that it was effective from March 23, the day of his conviction.

"Consequent upon his conviction by the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Surat...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," the notification read.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday attended the meeting of Congress MPs at the party office in the Parliament premises. This comes a day after the Wayanad MP was convicted by a Surat case in a 2019 defamation case.

A day after Rahul Gandhi was sentenced in a 2019 criminal defamation case, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday said legal processes are used far too often for political ends and both the process and the outcome are "bizarre".

A court in Surat on Thursday sentenced Gandhi to two years in the case filed against him over his "Modi surname" remarks. The court also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court.

Reacting to the development, Sibal said, "Rahul Gandhi, sentenced for 2 years for defamation. Legal processes are used far too often for political ends! Both the process and the outcome is bizarre."

As Rahul Gandhi's conviction triggered a political slugfest, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday took a fresh dig at him saying one cannot blame all Gandhi surnames just because the Congress leader "insulted" Indian democracy, its armed forces and country's institutions.Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case by a Surat court has been slammed by opposition parties, including the AAP, which rallied behind the former Congress chief and accused the ruling party of "hatching a conspiracy to eliminate" its political opponents by prosecuting them."We can't blame all Gandhi surnames just because Rahul Gandhi insulted Indian democracy, our Armed forces & India's Institutions.Rahul Gandhi made very derogatory remark and disgraced an entire OBC Community. Shockingly, some Congress leaders are trying to defend it," Rijiju said in a tweet.