New Delhi: The Congress is planning to launch nationwide protests against the alleged targeting of Rahul Gandhi, who was convicted in a defamation case by a Surat court on Thursday, from March 27. Ahead of that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will interact with the PCC chiefs and CLP leaders through virtual mode on Friday evening to discuss the plan of action in the states.
According to Congress communications in charge Jairam Ramesh, “Rahul’s conviction is not only a legal matter, it is a serious political issue which is linked to the future of democracy and is an example of Modi government’s vendetta politics and politics of intimidation.”
“We will fight the issue legally. We will use the legal rights available to us. We will make it a big political matter. We will fight it head on and we will not be afraid,” he said.
On Thursday, as the Delhi Congress leaders protested against the conviction outside Rahul’s residence, several MPs received the Wayanad MP at the airport on a return flight from Surat. Later, around 50 MPs went into a huddle at the residence of Kharge for two hours to chalk out a plan of action over the issue. Former party chief Sonia Gandhi also reached Rahul’s residence and had a discussion with him over the issue.
The Congress leaders said they anticipated such an action in the Surat case, as Rahul has been targeted by the government over the past years when he was questioned for over 50 hours in the National Herald case. “We will not be afraid. Our voice can not be silenced. Our protest will be against the local court order. Rahul Gandhi always asks questions for the nation. He never levels personal charges on anyone,” Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary told this channel.
According to AICC insiders, most state units are already involved in Hath se hath jodo campaigns a follow up of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and will start raising the targeting of Rahul Gandhi by the government. “He is being targeted as he is asking questions from the government. The government is not ready to debate on the issues raised by Rahul Gandhi,” said Chaudhary.
The party leaders are also discussing the various aspects of the case and the related disqualification issue. According to Rahul’s legal advisors, the sentence by the local court has been suspended for a month and the party is already preparing to file a petition in the high court over the quashing of the said order.
The party is even prepared to go to the Supreme Court over the matter but is carefully watching the moves of the government. The Congress is also working in close coordination with the 17 like-minded parties on countering the government over the issue of misuse of central agencies and the tampering of the EVM machines.
A sign of the opposition unity was the backing of Rahul from Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who usually targets the former Congress chief. The TMC who used to be critical of Rahul, too have supported the grand old party.
