New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday welcomed the Surat court's decision to reject Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's plea for a stay on his conviction in the 'Modi surname' criminal defamation case as a "victory" of the judiciary, the common people and the backward classes while terming it as 'a slap on the Gandhi family's face'.
Hitting out at the Congress, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the court's verdict was a "slap on the Gandhi family's face" and that "there could not be any preferential treatment for any family". "The court's decision is a blow to the arrogance of the Gandhi family, especially Rahul Gandhi. The verdict shows there is the rule of Constitution in this country, not the family. And there can't be a preferential treatment for any family....It also proves that the law is equal for everyone", Patra said.
Referring to Congress MP Pramod Tiwari's statement that Gandhi family should be treated differently by the law, Patra said that it is the victory of the common people of India and the backward classes. "This is also a huge victory of the judiciary...There is an atmosphere of happiness across the country," he said. Rahul Gandhi had abused the backward classes and the Gandhi family had thought they could escape by it but this did not happen, he added.
Alleging the Congress of "mobilising its ecosystem" and "carrying out a movement against the judiciary" Patra said it is clear that judiciary would not buckle under any pressure. He said two entities have been defeated, of which, one is Gandhi family's arrogance and second is the ecosystem that has people who come in defence of the Gandhi family's arrogance.
Further, Patra said that Gandhi was given a chance to apologise for his remarks but he had said that "sorry" did not exist in his dictionary. Asking Gandhi to apologise to the OBC community for his Modi surname, Patra said: "Rahul ji you apologised before the Supreme Court. So don't say that the word sorry is not in your dictionary.
Rahul Gandhi was elected to the Lok Sabha from Wayanad in Kerala. On March 23, the court had convicted Gandhi for his comment stating "all people with Modi surname are thieves" during an election rally in Kolar in April 2019. A day later, he was disqualified as MP from the Lok Sabha. The Surat court of additional sessions judge R P Mogera rejected Gandhi's plea today, which if allowed, would have paved the way for him to be reinstated as MP.
