Today, a Surat court convicted Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 defamation lawsuit. Rahul Gandhi, a Congress member, cited the words of Mahatma Gandhi after being found guilty today in the 2019 defamation case by the Surat court “Truth and non-violence are the cornerstones of my religion. My god is truth, and the way to get to it is via nonviolence.” The Congress MP was found guilty in the 2019 defamation case for his claimed “Modi surname” remark made during the Lok Sabha election campaign. The Congress leader was given a two-year prison term by the court, but eventually received bail.
A case was launched on a complaint brought by BJP Legislator and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi against the Wayanad MP for his alleged remark during a rally in Kolar, Karnataka, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, “How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” Priyanka Gandhi, the general secretary of the Congress and Rahul’s sister, also spoke out in favour of her brother, saying, “My brother has never been afraid, nor will he ever be. Have lived speaking the truth, will continue to speak the truth. Will continue to raise the voice of the people of the country.”
The ruling against Rahul Gandhi elicited reactions from across the political spectrum, with the Bharatiya Janata Party criticising the Congress leader and the Aam Aadmi Party supporting him. Kiren Rijiju, a minister for the Union, made fun of the Congress party, “These days, whatever Rahul Gandhi says hurts his own party. It’s not good for the country also” while BJP MP Rajendra Agrawal said today’s court decision “has proved Rahul Gandhi has a habit of lying inside the Parliament.” Purnesh Modi, the complainant, declared that he approved of the court’s decision.
Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal spoke in favour of Congress. Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal said his party has differences with Congress “but it is not right to implicate Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case like this. It is the job of the public and the opposition to ask questions. We respect the court but disagree with the decision.” He stated that a plot is being developed to prosecute and dismantle non-BJP leaders and parties. The government is trying to send a message to the opposition leaders by filing many FIRs in various states “We will stop you from speaking if you raise a question. This is incorrect, “MLA for the AAP, Saurabh Bhardwaj.
