Rahul Gandhi, the former president of the Indian National Congress party, has been reinstated to the Lok Sabha as a Member of Parliament following a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remarks.
The Congress leader has received a warm welcome from Congress and other opposition MPs on his arrival as his Lok Sabha membership is restored. Rahul Gandhi reached the Parliament House complex around noon where the Monsoon session is occurring.
On March 23, Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP post a Gujarat court convicted him in a defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remarks and sentenced him to two years in jail. A lawmaker is automatically disqualified if the punishment is for two years or above.
“The decision to reinstate Shri @RahulGandhi as an MP is a welcome step. It brings relief to the people of India, and especially to Wayanad. Whatever time is left of their tenure, BJP and Modi Govt should utilise that by concentrating on actual governance rather than denigrating Democracy by targeting opposition leaders,” tweeted Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
Rahul Gandhi has been quite a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government, and his return is seen as a positive development for the Congress party and its members alike.
