Congress holds nationwide satyagraha after Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha

New Delhi (India), March 25, 2023: The Indian National Congress is holding a day-long satyagraha across the country today to protest against the disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are leading the satyagraha in Delhi, despite their request for a protest at Raj Ghat being turned down by the police due to law and order and traffic concerns. The Delhi Police has increased security and banned large gatherings around Raj Ghat.

The Congress has labeled the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi a “conspiracy” to silence the leader, who has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has been the de facto head of the main opposition party for nearly a decade. The disqualification came a day after he was found guilty of defamation by a Gujarat court for a 2019 campaign trial remark that was seen as insulting to the Prime Minister and his community.

Rahul Gandhi responded to the verdict by calling it an attempt to prevent him from speaking out against the Prime Minister. “I have been disqualified as the Prime Minister is scared of my next speech. I have seen fear in his eyes. That’s why they don’t want me to speak in the Parliament,” he said, using a reference to nationalist icon Veer Savarkar to argue that he would not apologize for his comments.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has declared Rahul Gandhi’s constituency in Kerala’s Wayanad vacant, and the Election Commission may soon announce a special election for the seat. The disqualification also bars him from contesting polls for eight years unless a higher court stays his conviction. The BJP has accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting the Other Backward Class community, which forms a key vote base for the party.