Rahul Gandhi conviction to rock Parliament; 'misuse' of courts, agencies

The conviction of Rahul Gandhi in the 'Modi surname' case casts a shadow on the Parliament session today as the Congress objects to the 'misuse' of even courts along with central agencies to target political rivals and thereby deflect attention from contentious issues confronting the nation.

New Delhi: The storm over the conviction of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is all set to rock the Parliament on Friday with the main opposition Congress party holding a strategy meeting to counter the ruling BJP offensive in the wake of the Surat court verdict. With this, the Opposition bid for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the Adani issue receded into the background.

Yesterday's verdict by the Surat court triggered widespread speculation over whether Rahul Gandhi would become disqualified to contest in the 2024 general elections. On their party, the Congress leaders cited constitutional and legal experts as saying that there would be no disqualification threat to the Gandhi scion as long as his appeal would lie before the court.

Amid reports of the Rahul Gandhi team preparing to challenge the Surat court's order, his conviction issue has cast a shadow on the ongoing Parliament sessions. Already, the proceedings in both Houses have been witnessing stormy scenes right from the start. First, the Congress-led Opposition created a ruckus over the Government not agreeing to the JPC probe into the Adani stock market meltdown.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members turned the tables on the Opposition by bringing to the fore the alleged defamatory remarks made by Rahul Gandhi on Indian democracy during his visit to Britain. The BJP MPs demanded that the Congress MP tender his apology for his 'derogatory remarks' against India on foreign soil.

In the latest instance, the Congress is bent on taking forward its attack on the ruling BJP by accusing the Modi government of misusing even the courts to settle political scores over rivals. All the Opposition parties including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Bharat Rashtra Samiti and DMK have been accusing the BJP of using the central agencies to harass their leaders.

In the face of continued ruckus and repeated adjournments, the Opposition members staged protests and marches outside the Parliament. In a recent protest, they displayed a giant banner from the high-rise corridors of the Parliament building, demanding 'JPC' into the Adani issue.