The Congress party leaders in India are leading nationwide protests against the expulsion of their leader, Rahul Gandhi, from parliament. Gandhi was disqualified as a Member of Parliament last week due to a defamation case, resulting in a two-year prison sentence. He was convicted for comments made at an election rally in 2019 about the Prime Minister's surname. The Congress party alleges that this action is politically motivated, while the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) denies any wrongdoing and states that the expulsion follows parliamentary rules
Congress leaders held protests in several states, including Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat. Other opposition parties joined the demonstrations in Parliament premises in Delhi, and several wore black clothes. The Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, held its first session since Gandhi's disqualification, during which protests continued inside parliament, leading to several adjournments throughout the day.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of suppressing dissent in the country. Gandhi's sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, accused the Prime Minister of targeting her brother for asking him tough questions about his relationship with Gautam Adani, the founder of the Adani conglomerate. The Adani Group has been accused of stock manipulation and accounting fraud by US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research earlier this year, but the conglomerate has denied the allegations.
Gandhi is a scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, which has given India three Prime Ministers, and his disqualification comes ahead of the 2024 general elections in India. He remains on bail for 30 days and intends to appeal the verdict given by a court in Gujarat state. Gandhi's supporters believe that his disqualification is a sign of India's weakening democratic system. Several opposition MPs have filed notices in Parliament to initiate an investigation into the Adani Group.
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