New Delhi (India), March 26, 2023: BJP leader Khushbu Sundar is facing backlash for a tweet she made in 2018 that caused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to be sentenced to two years in jail and disqualified from Parliament.
Sundar, who was a member of Congress at the time, had suggested changing the meaning of “Modi” to corruption, stating that the surname was linked to corrupt practices. Supporters of Congress have shared the tweet on social media, questioning whether the Gujarat minister who filed the defamation case against Gandhi would also take action against Sundar.
In response, Sundar stated that the Congress party’s decision to dredge up an old tweet demonstrated their desperation. She also claimed that she was simply following the language of the party’s leaders at the time and had no regrets about the tweet. Sundar, who is also an actor and a member of the National Commission for Women, joined the BJP in 2020 after leaving Congress.
The defamation case against Gandhi originated from his alleged comment at a 2019 election rally in Karnataka’s Kolar, where he implied that Prime Minister Modi was a criminal by stating that “all thieves have Modi as the common surname.”
This led to several defamation suits being filed against him in various states, culminating in his recent conviction and disqualification from Parliament. Gandhi has yet to appeal the verdict to a higher court.
