Hailing the Supreme Court’s stay on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in the Modi surname case as a victory for democracy, party president Mallikarjun Kharge on August 4 said that the Congress would now wait to see how quickly Mr. Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership is restored.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters along with Mr. Gandhi and other senior leaders, the Congress chief noted that Mr. Gandhi had been disqualified within 24 hours of his conviction by a Surat court, and urged that his Lok Sabha membership be restored with equal speed.
Pressing for immediate reinstatement, the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury met Speaker Om Birla, who urged the Congress leader to submit the top court’s order as soon possible. He will be meeting Mr. Birla again on August 5, sources said.
