'Congress wants Rahul Gandhi to utter abuses, but...': BJP MP's attack
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised Congress amid Surat court's verdict against Rahul Gandhi for his 2019 comment on ‘Modi surnames’.
Ex-union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Thursday backed the filing of a case against Rahul Gandhi, arguing anyone who 'dismay(ed)' by the Congress MP's 2019 comment - 'all thieves have Modi as the common surname' - had the right to seek restitution. The Bharatiya Janata Party MP's jab at Gandhi came after a Gujarat court found Gandhi guilty of defamation and released him on bail after handing down a suspended two-year jail term pending appeal.
Addressing reporters at the BJP's HQ in Delhi, Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Gandhi over his reaction to the Gujarat court's ruling; he quoted Mahatma Gandhi and tweeted, "My religion is based on truth and non-violence... truth is my God, non-violence the means to get it."
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"What Rahul Gandhi said... that he believes in truth and non-violence... does that mean you can insult people? Does that mean you can insult the nation? I won't repeat what he said... you know what he said," Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters.
"If Rahul Gandhi has the right to abuse or disrespect anyone, then those who have been hurt by such comments have the right to file a defamation case in court..."
"The law of India is that if an individual or an organisation has been defamed by defamatory comments (or) abuses... then he has the right to seek address. But Congress has an objection to it.. they want complete freedom for Rahul Gandhi to utter abuses," he declared.
"This cannot be allowed... if there is law in the country, then it will be applied..."
Earlier today, after the Gujarat court's ruling, Gandhi and other senior leaders of the Congress, including his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, tweeted.
Rahul Gandhi has been given a two-year jail term that has been suspended for 30 days - on request from his legal team - to give him a chance to appeal the guilty verdict.
What now for Rahul Gandhi?
An elected representative sentenced for any offence for two years or more faces immediate disqualification under the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951.
A provision that granted three months' protection from disqualification was struck down in 2013 as 'ultra vires' by the Supreme Court in the Lily Thomas case. In Gandhi's case, the court that found him guilty suspended its sentence for 30 days - on request - to give him a chance to challenge its decision.
This means the disqualification will kick in a month later, unless Gandhi can get a stay on the conviction (and sentence) from another court.
Rahul Gandhi cannot approach the Gujarat High Court or Supreme Court at this time since this is a criminal case, but a third party could - on grounds the procedure and manner of the Surat court's ruling hurt the larger public interest.