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.
Sources said the Lok Sabha secretariat is awaiting a certified copy of the order even though it is said to have received a copy of the order.
Mr. Chowdhury said that his aim is to ensure that Mr. Gandhi can participate in the no-confidence motion debate that is slated to begin in the Lower House on Tuesday.
‘Truth wins’
Mr. Gandhi did not directly answer any question related to the case at the press conference, saying only that the truth had to come out some day. “Truth wins; if not today, then tomorrow. My path is clear. I thank people for the love and warmth they showed,” he told reporters. In a post on the social media platform X (previously known as Twitter), he said, “Come what may, my duty remains the same. Protect the idea of India”.
The focus for the Congress now is to get immediately start the process of restoring his Lok Sabha membership, so that he can speak in the no-trust motion.
‘Delay will be unfair’
In the case of Lakshwadeep MP Mohammed Faizal P.P., who had been sentenced to 10-year imprisonment in a criminal case, the Lok Sabha secretariat took nearly two months to restore his membership after the Kerala High Court stayed his conviction on January 25 this year. The Lok Sabha Secretariat only revoked his disqualification on March 29, after Mr. Faizal, a Nationalist Congress Party leader, filed a petition in the Supreme Court to question the delay.
Asked if a similar delay could happen in Mr. Gandhi’s case, Congress spokesperson and senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi said, “It will show malafide, it will be unfair, it will be graceless, and it will be completely contrary to the heart and soul of parliamentary democracy, which requires certain etiquette and give-and take.”
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Mr. Singhvi also emphatically said that the Speaker did not need to seek any further legal opinion from the Law Ministry to revoke the disqualification.
‘Victory of democracy’
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters not only witnessed party workers trooping in to congratulate their leader, but also saw an impromptu press conference being held by Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi, who were in the building for a meeting with Congress leaders from Tamil Nadu.
“This is the victory of the common people. This is not just Rahul Gandhi’s victory, this is the victory of all the people of the country, victory of democracy, and of constitutional principles,” Mr. Kharge told reporters. “To disqualify him, everything happened in 24 hours; now let us see in how many hours he is reinstated,” he added.
‘Justice has prevailed’
Top party leaders, including the Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled States, also took to social media to welcome the order.
Thanking the Supreme Court for a just decision, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra posted on X: “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth ~Gautama Buddha.”
“Even if the darkness is strong and spread till the other side of the ocean, brightness, symbolizing truth, always triumphs. The country welcomes the decision of the Supreme Court staying the conviction of Shri Rahul Gandhi. Satyamev Jayate! This is the victory of INDIA,” posted Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
Asserting that justice has prevailed, Congress general secretary for organisation K.C. Venugopal said, “No force can silence the voice of the people.”
