Puducherry: The Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee will hold a dawn to dusk fast here on Monday to condemn the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as member of Parliament. Former Puducherry Chief Minister and senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy told participants in a protest rally organised by the PPCC here Sunday that, "the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi is a clear case of political vendetta unleashed by the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) headed NDA government at the Centre."
He said that the Central government was attempting to gag the voice of the opposition particularly when the Congress leader was exposing the Narendra Modi led government's nexus with the industrialist and billionaire Gautam Adani. "The Prime Minister tried to silence the opposition but our protests would continue unabated," Narayanasamy said announcing that a day-long fast would be observed here on Monday to condemn the disqualification of Gandhi.
Gandhi was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat Court on March 23 in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark. A day later, the Lok Sabha Secretariat in a notification said that his disqualification was effective from the day of his conviction. Puducherry PCC leader A V Subramanian, party legislators M Vaithianathan and Ramesh Parambath and delegates from different wings of the party were among those who participated in the protest rally.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress president Vikrant Bhuria was on Sunday arrested for leading a protest against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP by stopping a train at Kamlapati railway station in Bhopal, a police official said. Bhuria was arrested from his residence at Gopal Colony here after he was charged under Indian Penal Code and Railway Act for stopping the Dakshin Express on Friday, Bhopal railway police inspector Nitin Patel told reporters.
Bhuria, who is the son of MLA and former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria, was taken away while a crowd of Congress supporters shouted slogans in his support. On Thursday, a Surat court sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in a criminal defamation case over his Modi surname and thieves remark, and his disqualification notice was issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat a day later. Meanwhile, the Congress held protests in several parts of MP on Sunday during its 'Sankalp Satyagrah' stir against Gandhi's disqualification. (With agency Inputs)
