Shillong, Aug 4: The Congress in Meghalaya are elated after the Supreme Court stayed Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname” remark, paving the way for revival of his Lok Sabha membership.
With this stay by the apex court, it will also allow Gandhi to contest the genral elections due next year.
The leader of opposition and the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), Ronnie V Lyngdoh said that they would like to express deep sense of gratitude to the highest court in the country since it has instilled the sense of confidence on judiciary. According to him, this goes well for the country since most of the democratic institutions have been manipulated by the ruling dispensation.
Terming that this is not only the victory of Rahul Gandhi, Lyngdoh said that this is the victory of the citizens of the country where people can still hope to get justice from the courts and judiciary.
Lyngdoh said that this has vindicated the stand of Gandhi and the party since the efforts to disqualify him as an MP is politically motivated.
“It only shows that all the allegations do not have any merit. He (Rahul) had only questioned why the people who were involved in the bank frauds belonged to a particular surname,” the CLP leader said.
The Congress MLA from Garo Hills region, Saleng Sangma said that everyone is overjoyed by this decision of the apex court.
“Not only the Congress, the people of this country is celebrating since everyone thought that democracy has ended,” Sangma said.
He pointed out that there was an attempt to forcefully strip the membership of Rahul Gandhi as the Member of Parliament. According to him, the court has stayed the conviction and it is a good thing for the country.
“The Congress and the people of India have a hope since it has showed that truth and democracy prevails,” the Congress MLA from Garo Hills region said.
Further he said that Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla who had disqualified him, will now have to restore his membership as the MP of Lok Sabha. “Now he (Rahul Gandhi) can again take part in the ongoing session of the Parliament. May be we can witness him raising the issues concerning violence in Manipur,” Sangma added.
