Ruling Mahagathbandhan Protests Rahul Gandhi’s Disqualification in Bihar Assembly

Patna: Ruling Mahagathbandhan members staged protests inside and outside the Bihar Assembly on Monday against the disqualification of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha after he was convicted by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case and termed it a part of political vendetta by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government for it.

Wearing black badges MLAs and MLCs of Mahagathbandhan including Congress, Janata Dal-United (JD-U), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Left parties protested against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi. They shouted slogans against BJP led central government. Some Congress MLAs took part in the protest wearing black clothes to express their anger against the disqualification of their leader.

Soon after the Assembly sat for the day, Mahagathbandhan members raised this issue and demanded a discussion. Later, Congress and Left Party members staged a dharna in the well of the House and went back to their seats only after Speaker appealed to them.

"We respect court judgement but protesting against the disqualification of Rahulji from Lok Sabha. This is a clear case of stopping opposing MP from speaking in the parliament and raising the issue of public interest. Narendra Modi-led government has been hell-bent to suppress the voice of opposition,” Congress MLA Ajit Sharma told media here.

Another Congress MLA Shakeel Ahmad Khan said that party along with its allies will take this issue to the people's court. “Modi-led government is afraid of Rahulji. BJP and its top leadership fear Rahulji and try everything to create trouble. But BJP has forgotten one thing that Rahulji will fight on the streets,” Khan said.

Mahagathbandhan leaders in one voice repeatedly said that the BJP-led government has been conspiring to ensure an opposition-free country by targeting Rahul Gandhi. RJD leader and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav told the media that the opposition has to unite to counter such an attack on democracy by BJP. "It is high time that opposition should unite and work together to challenge BJP-led government,” he said.

However, the silence of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is defacto chief of JD-U, on Gandhi’s disqualification is something being discussed in the political circle here. Three days after Gandhi was disqualified, most of the opposition leaders including West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamta Banerjee, Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M) leader and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, Samajwadi party leader Akhilesh Yadav, reacted strongly against disqualification.

The JD-U national president Lalan Singh has criticised the Modi government for disqualification and blamed BJP for the attack on democracy.

As reported Rahul Gandhi, Member of Lok Sabha representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala was disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction i.e. 23 March 2023.

Last Friday Congress along with RJD and Left parties MLAs took out a protest march on the premises of the Bihar assembly against the conviction of Gandhi in the defamation case. With posters and banners in their hands, they raised the slogan "Modi Hatao Desh Bachao". But MLAs of the ruling JD-U have not participated in the protest march. JD-U members were also silent in the House(assembly) when Congress members supported by RJD and Left parties created a ruckus then.

However later JD-U spokesperson Neeraj Kumar expressed dismay over the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi. "Opposition will not sit silently on this issue. We will not allow BJP to do as per its will," he told the media.

CPI(ML) state secretary Kunal said the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi is like a surgical strike on the country's democracy. “Opposition parties have to fight together on the streets against fascist BJP-led government and it is high time to save democracy,” he said.