India: main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi reinstated in Parliament

August 7, 2023

India’s main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was reinstated in parliament on Monday after the country’s Supreme Court last week suspended his libel conviction related to his political comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Gandhi’s disqualification, which had been in effect since March, “ceased to operate subject to further judicial decisions”, Utpal Kumar Singh, chief secretary of the lower house of parliament, said in a statement.

The 53-year-old Congress party leader was sentenced on March 23 to two years in prison for defaming Narendra Modi, for remarks made during an election campaign in 2019. He then declared that “all thieves have Modi as their surname”.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called the decision to reinstate him in parliament a “welcome step” and called on the government to focus on “governance rather than bashing democracy by attacking the leaders of the opposition”.

The conviction rendered him ineligible, disqualifying him from sitting in parliament and contesting the 2024 general election, in which Mr Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is given the clear winner.

Congress party MP Shashi Tharoor welcomed the announcement of Rahul Gandhi’s reinstatement “with enormous relief”.

“He can now resume his duties in the Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament) to serve the people of India and their constituents… This is a victory for justice and for our democracy,” he said. .

Many congressional leaders posted videos and messages welcoming Monday’s order, and Mr. Kharge offered candy to opposition leaders.

Supporters of Mr Gandhi gathered outside the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, shouting slogans of support, dancing and waving flags to the sound of drums.

Mr Gandhi is expected to join the lower house on Monday afternoon, where he sits as an MP for the southern state of Kerala.

India’s top court on Friday suspended Mr Gandhi’s defamation conviction and said the original trial failed to warrant imposing the maximum sentence for remarks he made at a rally. campaign four years ago.

“The sentencing order should be stayed pending a final decision,” Judge B.R. Gavai said in his ruling.

Mr Modi’s government, which has been in office for nine years, is regularly accused of using the law to target and muzzle its critics.

Rahul Gandhi is also the subject of two other proceedings for defamation and is also implicated in an alleged money laundering case, the merits of which he disputes.

Mr Gandhi’s supporters attribute his conviction and the loss of his seat in parliament to his calls for an investigation into links between Mr Modi and tycoon Gautam Adani, both from Gujarat.

The Congress party accuses Mr Modi of encouraging the rapid rise of this billionaire and allowing him to win contracts unfairly and avoid proper scrutiny.

Congress was once the dominant force in Indian politics, but Mr Gandhi, seen as a prince out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Indians, lost two elections to Mr Modi and his Hindu nationalist party.

The weakened Congress party has tried to form a grand coalition with disparate regional opposition parties ahead of national elections in 2024, to challenge Mr Modi, who hopes to win his third consecutive term.

A figurehead of the Congress party, Rahul Gandhi is a descendant of India’s first political dynasty. He is the son of Rajiv (and Sonia) Gandhi, grandson of Indira Gandhi and great-grandson of independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru, all former prime ministers. He is not related to Mahatma Gandhi.