Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reverse the decision of Rahul Gandhi’s expulsion from Parliament, US lawmaker Ro Khanna has dubbed the matter ‘a deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and India’s deepest values’.
He tweeted, “The expulsion of Rahul Gandhi from parliament is a deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and India’s deepest values. This is not what my grandfather sacrificed years in jail for. @narendramodi you have the power to reverse this decision for the the sake of Indian democracy.”
Khanna’s maternal grandfather, Amarnath Vidyalankar, was part of India’s independence movement, working with Lala Lajpat Rai, and spent years in jail in the pursuit of human rights and freedom.
Khanna is the Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian- Americans. His maternal grandfather, Amarnath Vidyalankar, was part of India’s independence movement, working with Lala Lajpat Rai, and spent years in jail in the pursuit of human rights and freedom.
Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification comes a day after a court in Surat sentenced the Congress leader to two years in jail in the defamation case filed against him over his “Modi surname” remarks. The court also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court.
The disqualification will bar 52-year-old Gandhi, a four-time MP, from contesting polls for eight years unless a higher court stays his conviction and sentence.
Meanwhile, George Abraham, vice-chair of the Indian Overseas Congress, USA, termed Gandhi’s disqualification as a sad day for democracy in India.
“It is a sad day for democracy in India. By disqualifying Rahul Gandhi, Modi sarkar is ringing the death knell for the right to free speech and freedom of Indians everywhere,” Abraham said.
“Bringing a frivolous court case against a remark in the heat of a political campaign is shameful and not on par with the spirit of the Constitution regarding freedom of expression,” he added.
