Rama Krishna Sangem
The Supreme Court granting stay on August 4, Friday, on a Gujarat court sentencing Wynad MP Rahul Gandhi for a two year imprisonment is a big boost to opposition Congress party. Rahul Gandhi was disqualified because of the sentence. He is expected to reinstated as Lok Sabha member by Friday night or Saturday morning so that he can participate in the no-trust motion debate against PM Narendra Modi’s council of ministers next week.
Congress ranks across the country erupted in joy and celebrations. That is quite understandable. Because of this lower court’s sentence against Rahul Gandhi is seen by a majority of people as “an overdose of judicial punishment“. His remarks that why all economic offenders have their names ending with Modi surname, indirectly referring to PM Modi is treated as defamation of all Modis in the country.
The lower court of Gujarat handed him the maximum sentence as per the civil and criminal defamation laws. As soon as the court’s order came Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla disqualified Rahul from LS as MP. That is too expected as the rules stipulate that. But,his disqualification came on March 24 at a time when campaigning for Karnataka assembly elections was reaching its peak. Congress cleverly played Rahul’s victim card in the elections and voters punished BJP in Karnataka.
Rahul Gandhi: “I’m clear in my path”
Welcoming the top court’s stay on Rahul’s conviction, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge lashed out at the ruling BJP for following vindictive politics and termed the relief as “a victory of justice and fairness“. On his part, Rahul thanked one and all who supported him in the issue. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m clear in mind and in my path,” said he, hinting that he was expecting this judicial relief from the apex court.
Now that Rahul will become an MP again in this Lok Sabha and he can contest elections in 2024, Congress party as well as the newly minted INDIA opposition front heaved a sigh of relief. Undoubtedly, Rahul will be the star speaker of INDIA in Lok Sabha during the no-confident motion’s three day debate from August 8. Though the government wins the vote, Congress will score more points.
The SC stay and Rahul bouncing back as MP after a gap of four months is a sweet revenge of sorts for Congress and INDIA, especially as the front meet holds its third meeting soon in Mumbai. Rahul Gandhi will also launch his second leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0 from Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh, or vice versa soon. This SC reprieve is as kind of otherwise dull and drab political journey of Rahul Gandhi.
The ruling BJP has suffered a blow due to the public perception that they have punished Rahul in a minor defamation offence and stripped him of his MP post. Now the SC stay reinforced that perception. Of course, the SC has expressed its anguish over Rahul’s language and his utterances in that so-called hate speech defaming all Modis. BJP say, that speech offended 13 crore Modis belonging to 10 different communities.
