Two days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the parliament over his conviction in a defamation case, the party is slated to observe a day-long Satyagraha on Sunday, 26 March, against the move.
The Satyagraha will be headed by Party president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at Raj Ghat in Delhi.
It will also be staged in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statues at all states and district headquarters, from 10 am to 5 pm.
What has happened so far:
To counter what is being seen as the Narendra Modi government's biggest attack, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi addressed the media on Saturday, 25 March
Training guns at the Centre, Gandhi said that BJP ministers and leaders have been tasked to spread lies about him only because he has been questioning PM Modi's relationship with business tycoon Gautam Adani
Political slugfest ensued across party lines on Friday as the Opposition leaders rallied behind Gandhi to condemn the Modi government's move, calling it "dictatorial" and "arrogant
Gandhi was convicted by a trial court in Gujarat on Thursday, 23 March, in a criminal defamation case for a remark he made on the Modi surname in 2019
Following this, the Lok Sabha secretariat issued a notice on Friday, 24 March, to disqualify Rahul Gandhi over his conviction in the defamation case
'Conspiracy To Weaken Youth Leader': Ashok Gehlot
Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said that the BJP has "hatched a conspiracy to weaken a youth leader" at a time when the popularity of the Bharat Jodo Yatra was rising.
At Congress party's Sankalp Satyagraha in Delhi, he told news agency ANI:
When (Bharat Jodo) Yatra was being taken out and Rahul Gandhi's popularity was rising, they (BJP) hatched a conspiracy to weaken a youth leader. They have a history of hatching conspiracies. They couldn't answer the allegations and questions against Adani.Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan Chief Minister
"In 50 years of my political career, I have never seen an issue arise, allegations levelled and political leaders not give a reply. This is the first such incident after Independence when the Prime Minister, instead of answering the allegations, is not even uttering Adani's name," Gehlot added.
Rahul Gandhi's Disqualification Means Ending Democracy: Prithviraj Chavan
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said that the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha "means hurting and ending democracy."
"We are making an effort to protect democracy. This is our peaceful Satyagraha. Further course of action will be decided...We'll legally appeal against this action (disqualification), and a legal battle will be fought. Political battle will continue, as you can see," Chavan told news agency ANI.
Congress Leaders Hold 'Sankalp Satyagraha' In Mumbai
Congress leaders and workers from Maharashtra hold Sankalp Satyagraha in Mumbai, to protest against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as a Lok Sabha MP.
Prithviraj Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, Bhai Jagtap and others are participating in the Satyagraha.
'Satyagraha About The Very System Of Democracy': Shashi Tharoor
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor told the media that this (Satyagraha) is not just about Congress party or Rahul Gandhi, this is about Indian democracy. "Is it good for our democracy when the principal opposition leader is not allowed to raise his voice in Parliament where we have a PM who speaks to the world about India as the as the mother of democracy, is this good for our country?," Tharoor told news agency ANI.
"It is about the very system of democracy itself, a system in which people should be free to speak, free to express their views, free to challenge the govt with questions and hold the government accountable. This was the vision of opposition that PM Modi himself had called for," he added.