Kerala: CM Pinarayi Vijayan Terms Rahul's Disqualification as ‘Violent Attack on Democracy'

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday termed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha as a "violent attack on democracy" by the Sangh Parivar.

Gandhi was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court on Wednesday in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark.

A day later, the LS Secretariat in a notification said that his disqualification was effective from March 23 -- the day of his conviction.

Vijayan said the "hasty" disqualification of Gandhi was the "latest chapter" of the Sangh Parivar assault on democracy.

"Suppressing dissent by force is a fascist method," Vijayan said in a statement.

Wayanad: BJP's revenge politics, say Congress, Left workers

Wayanad: The Congress party and a section of Left workers in Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, represented by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who was disqualified from the Parliament on Friday, accused the BJP of engaging in revenge politics against the Gandhi scion.

KPCC executive member Paulose K L said his party would seek legal options to fight the "fascist move" of the BJP government.

"Gandhi has been fighting relentlessly against the BJP-led fascist government. His voice cannot be silenced. Now all the opposition party leaders have come out in support of him," Paulose told PTI.

Another senior Congress leader from the District, K A Abraham, said the general public had understood the revenge politics against Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.

"The action was a political move against Rahul Gandhi. BJP is engaged in revenge politics against Rahul Gandhi. The public sentiment has now turned against the BJP government," Abraham told reporters here.

A local CPI(M) leader from the constituency, on condition of anonymity, told PTI that the action against Gandhi showed that BJP had scant regard for democracy in the country.

Johnson Kurukkanmoola, a Wayanad resident and a Left supporter, said there was a general sentiment among the public that the BJP government was unnecessarily targeting Rahul Gandhi.

"We all know that it's the BJP ruling the Centre and how they are attacking the Opposition," he said.

Mamata Condemns disqualification

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday without naming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who has been disqualified from Lok Sabha on being convicted in a defamation case, said the country is witnessing a new low in a constitutional democracy.

Opposition leaders are being disqualified for their speeches, she asserted

“In PM Modi's New India, Opposition leaders have become the prime target of BJP! While BJP leaders with criminal antecedents are inducted into the cabinet, opposition leaders are disqualified for their speeches," the fiery TMC Supremo said in a tweet.

"Today, we have witnessed a new low for our constitutional democracy,” Banerjee added.

Dictatorial Move, Says AAP

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 Gandhi’s disqualification is dictatorship of the BJP and they will not succeed in suppressing the voice of opposition".

Tactic to Divert Attention from Inflation, Industrialist Pal: Akhilesh

Noida: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha is BJP's tactic to divert people's attention from issues like inflation, unemployment and an “industrialist friend” sinking India's money.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also alleged that since the BJP came to power in UP in 2017, it took help of the government and the administration to get false cases lodged against Samajwadi Party MLAs like Azam Khan and got them disqualified from the state assembly.

“In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has taken away the membership of several Samajwadi Party leaders. Today the membership of Congress's biggest leader has been taken away. If we look at everything this way, then a lot of BJP members would also be disqualified. If fairly probed, then a lot of BJP members would get disqualified for the kind of language they use and statements they make,” Yadav told reporters in Greater Noida.

“This has been done to deliberately divert people's attention from real issues like inflation and unemployment, and an industrialist friend who has sunk India's money. They don't want to discuss these issues,” he added.