International Desk: A court in Gujarat has sentenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in prison in a defamation case for making offensive comments about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s title. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul’s sister, wrote on Twitter after the verdict on Thursday, “The fearful rulers are trying to suppress Rahul Gandhi’s voice. But my brother was never afraid, and he never will be. He will continue to speak the truth. The power of truth and the love of crores of countrymen are with him. News, NDTV
Meanwhile, after the verdict, Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter, quoting Mahatma Gandhi, “My religion is based on truth and non-violence.” Truth is my god, and non-violence is the means of attaining it.’ The court granted Rahul Gandhi’s 30-day bail application despite announcing the jail sentence. An opportunity to appeal is also given.
According to the Representation of the People Act of India, MPs can be disqualified if they are sentenced to imprisonment for a term of two years or more. As a result, Rahul has that fear.
Lawyer Kirit Panwala claimed in court that no one (including Narendra Modi) was harmed by Rahul’s comments. He said that a request has been made to reduce the sentence in the court of Judge HH Burma.
While campaigning in Karnataka for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul raised the question, “Why are all thieves called ‘Modi’?” He compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Lalit Modi, accused in the IPL scam, and Nirav Modi, who was ‘on the run’ in the bank-loan case. Gujarat BJP leader Purnesh Modi filed a defamation case against Rahul on the charge of ‘insulting the title’ in that incident. Rahul was found guilty in that case. Along with that, there was also the possibility of the dismissal of the Congress MP from Wenara.
Rahul Gandhi arrived in Surat, Gujarat, on Thursday morning before the verdict in the case was announced. He was welcomed there by the congressional leaders of the state. At that time, the activists raised the slogan, “Congress will not bow down to the dictator of the BJP.”
