The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday called Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha a dictatorial move and asserted that the BJP will not be able to suppress the voice of the opposition.
AAP national spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “It is very unfortunate. We have differences with Congress and they have attacked us several times whenever we have been targeted. But Rahul’s disqualification is dictatorship of the BJP and they will not succeed in suppressing the voice of opposition”.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from Lok Sabha on Friday, a day after he was convicted by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case for his alleged remark, “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?”
AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday launched a blistering attack on the Centre over the disqualification of Rahul, saying it was “shocking” and that the country was passing through very difficult times.
He referred to the Congress MP’s disqualification in a speech in the Delhi Assembly and said the BJP was scared.
Later talking to reporters, he said it was “quite a worrisome situation”. “It’s not just a fight of the Congress or Rahul, it’s a fight of the entire opposition,” he said.
Kejriwal alleged that the BJP wanted to create a situation wherein there is just one party in the country. This is “dictatorship” and the BJP government is “more dangerous” than the British rulers before Independence, he charged.
He also condemned the disqualification in a tweet.
“The disqualification of Rahul from Lok Sabha is shocking. The country is passing through very difficult times. They have terrorised the entire country. One hundred and thirty crore people will have to unite against this arrogant power,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.
Rahul was disqualified from Lok Sabha on Friday, a day after he was convicted by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his remark on the “Modi surname”. Announcing his disqualification, the Lok Sabha Secretariat in a notification said that it would be effective from March 23, the day of his conviction.
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma, which held Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code sections 499 and 500, also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court, the Congress leader’s lawyer Babu Mangukiya said.
The former Wayanad MP attended Lok Sabha on Friday briefly as the House was adjourned for an hour soon after it convened for the day. He was disqualified hours later by the Lok Sabha Secretariat from the day of his conviction.
The AAP is among the 14 parties, led by the Congress, to approach the apex court on Friday, alleging misuse of central probe agencies against political opponents. These parties seek pre-and post-arrest guidelines to be followed by agencies such as the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear their plea on April 5.
“Manish Sisodia’s arrest has brought 14 parties together. Fourteen parties have come together and approached Supreme Court. BJP wants even the judiciary to act like ED and CBI. That party is doing everything that never happened before. BJP’s countdown has begun,” Bharadwaj added.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on February 26 arrested the then Delhi deputy chief minister in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Sisodia on March 9 evening in Tihar jail, where he was lodged in connection with the case being probed by the CBI.
