Ready to pay any price after disqualification as MP- Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is no longer a member of parliament following his conviction and sentencing in a 2019 defamation case by a court in Gujarat court, the Lok Sabha secretariat announced on Friday. While some legal experts had said the MP from Kerala’s Wayanad stood “automatically” disqualified with the conviction, others had said the action can be staved off if he manages to get the conviction overturned.

The 52-year-old was convicted by a court and sentenced to prison for two years in Gujarat on Thursday for a 2019 speech in which he linked PM Modi’s last name with two fugitive businessmen, remarking how the “thieves” shared the same last name.

The court also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal to a higher court. But according to the law, any MP convicted of a crime and sentenced to at least two years in jail stands to be disqualified.

“Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership has been terminated. He is constantly fighting for you and this country, from the streets to the Parliament, trying everything possible to save democracy. Despite every conspiracy, he will continue this fight at all costs and will take just action in this matter. The fight continues,” Congress said in a tweet in Hindi.

The party also changed its social media display picture to a vignette of Rahul Gandhi with the words ‘Daro Mat’ (Don’t Be Afraid).

Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari called the decision “erroneous”. “Lok Sabha secretariat cannot disqualify an MP. The President has to do it in consultation with the Election Commission,” he told NDTV. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called it an example of “dictatorship”.

Shashi Tharoor, another senior Congress MP, said he was “stunned” by the move.

Several opposition leaders have expressed shock, and targetted the BJP over the decision.

The BJP has said the conviction has come from an independent judiciary, with party president JP Nadda accusing Mr Gandhi of insulting an Other Backward Class (OBC) community – a key vote base for the party.