Opposition Parties Meet in Response to Rahul Gandhi’s Defamation Case Conviction

New Delhi (India), March 23, 2023: New Delhi saw a conferral of opposition leaders today, following the recent conviction of Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case. Members of 12 opposition parties convened in the office of Congress chief and Leader of the Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, within parliament.

Although Rahul Gandhi arrived at the Lok Sabha this morning, the house was adjourned until 12 pm due to protests, and he soon departed. The Congress announced that all opposition parties would march from Parliament to the Rashtrapati Bhavan around 11:20 am today. The party claimed to have requested time from President Droupadi Murmu to present their case.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh denounced the verdict as an example of the Modi government’s “politics of vengeance, threats, intimidation, and harassment.” He added that the meeting at Congress chief M. Kharge’s residence lasted approximately two hours, during which it was decided that the Party chief would hold a meeting with all Pradesh Congress chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders in the evening to plan agitations in states.

Legal experts suggest that Rahul Gandhi, with his conviction and two-year sentence, stands “automatically” disqualified. However, an announcement from the Lok Sabha secretariat is still forthcoming. The Congress declared that the verdict was “erroneous and unsustainable” and expressed hope that it would be challenged and quashed in a higher court.

The opposition party plans to challenge the verdict both legally and politically, stating that it will not back down and will make it a significant political issue. Beginning Monday, the principal opposition party will also hold protests in Delhi and other states over the matter. In his first comment after the verdict, Gandhi quoted Mahatma Gandhi, tweeting in Hindi, “My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, non-violence is the means to get it.”