The Congress party will gain strength due to sympathy factor, said the party’s senior leader K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, reacting to dismissal of the plea for a stay on the defamation case against the AICC leader Rahul Gandhi by the Gujarat High Court, on Friday.
The Gujarat High Court has declined to grant a stay on Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s conviction and two-year jail term in a criminal defamation case, which has stripped him of his Parliament membership.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Ramachandra Rao said the arbitrary manner in which the case is being dealt, it will generate sympathy for the Congress and add to the party’s strength in the ensuing elections. He said people were watching the developments and expressed surprise over “how this kind of a thing can be allowed to happen.”
The former MP said Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s case was a classic example of the need to re-examine the credibility of the judiciary. “If people’s perception of the judiciary changes, it will be dangerous to democracy,” he warned, pointing to the fact that even earlier, Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification was announced in Parliament even before his lawyer had received a copy of the judgement.
“Rahul Gandhi will become stronger and his leadership will further elevate. The Congress party will only gain by this,” he reiterated.
Leaders of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, meanwhile, staged a black flag demonstration at Dharna Chowk in Vijayawada on Friday
.Speaking to reporters at the protest site, the State Congress president Gidugu Rudra Raju called the development ‘unfortunate’ and said that the party was confident that it would get justice at the Supreme Court. “It is unfortunate that this kind of treatment is meted out to a leader who has been fighting to bring about a unity among people across the country,” said Mr. Rudra Raju, adding that several leaders in power today faced graver charges but they were left untouched as they had the blessings of the ruling party at the Centre.
