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LS,RS Face Adjournments Amid Opposition Demands On Manipur situation

By LokMarg 24th July 2023

Opposition parties continued their protest in the two Houses of Parliament over their demands relating to the debate on the Manipur situation with both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seeing adjournments on Monday.

Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 12 noon and then till 2 pm.
In Rajya Sabha, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar suspended Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh on Monday for the remainder of the monsoon session of Parliament for “repeatedly violating” the Chair’s directives.

The Chairman first named Sanjay Singh for interrupting the proceedings of the House when it had taken up the Question Hour amid protests by the Opposition over its demand for a statement from Prime Minister on the Manipur violence and a detailed discussion on the issue.

Sanjay Singh came near the Chairman’s podium over opposition demands. Dhankhar told him to resume his seat. As the AAP member kept protesting, the Chairman named him.

Soon after the Chairman named Sanjay Singh, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal moved a motion urging the Chair to suspend the AAP member, saying this kind of behaviour “is completely against the ethics and rules of the House.”

Sanjay Singh should be suspended from the entire session of the House, he said.

The Chairman put the motion for approval of the House and said Sanjay Singh was being suspended for the remainder of the monsoon session of Parliament “for having repeatedly violated the directives of the Chair”.

The Chairman then adjourned the House till 2 pm.

Dhankhar had last week cautioned Sanjay Singh, saying that he will be forced to name the AAP member after he repeatedly protested against the proposed bill to replace the Centre’s ordinance for control over services in Delhi.

Dhankhar had cautioned Sanjay Singh after urging AAP members to take their seats as he briefed the House about the proceedings of the Business Advisory Committee.

AAP has been among opposition parties demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on the situation in Manipur and a detailed discussion on the issue.

The government has said it is prepared to discuss the situation in Manipur.

Lok Sabha witnessed protests and sloganeering from opposition members over their demand for a discussion on the Manipur situation and a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The House briefly took up Question Hour before it was adjourned till 12 noon.

As soon as House met for the day, opposition members were on their feet over their demand. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary demanded that the Prime Minister should make a statement in the House on the situation in Manipur.

Speaker Om Birla said that the House is ready for discussion and the opposition parties cannot decide who will reply to the debate.

Birla said Deputy Leader of the House Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has already said that the government is ready for discussion.

Rajnath Singh spoke briefly and said that there should be discussion in the House on Manipur situation and the government is ready.

Birla said that a solution will be found through discussions. “The House is for debate. Have you been sent by people to display placards, resort to sloganeering. This is Question Hour,” he told opposition members

The Speaker said that the matter can be discussion after Question Hour.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the government was willing for discussion and the opposition parties were trying to interrupt the proceedings of the House.

Opposition members displayed placards which expressed concern over the situation in Manipur and sought statement from the Prime Minister in the House.

The House briefly proceeded with the Question Hour amid protests and sloganeering by opposition members befofe it was adjourned till 12 noon.

Opposition members continued their protest when the Houser resumed proceedings at 12 noon.

The House briefly took up government’s legislative agenda among sloganeering by opposition members.

The government withdrew DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019.

Three bills – The National Dental Commission Bill, 2023, The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 and the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 were introduced in the Lok Sabha.

As the protests continued, the Chair adjourned the House till 2 pm. (ANI)

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LS, RS Adjourned, Oppo Insists On PM Statement Over Manipur Violence

By LokMarg 21st July 2023

The two Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day on Thurdsay following adjournments and opposition protests over their demand for discussion on Manipur violence by suspending other business of the day and a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon and later for the day. Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2.30 pm before being adjourned for the day.
Soon after the Lok Sabha met for the day, opposition MPs were on their feet demanding discussion on the situation in Manipur. They also raised slogans.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh said the Centre was willing to discuss situation in Manipur. He also referred to the horrific incident in which two women were paraded naked and sexual violence committed against them.

“Manipur incident is a very serious matter and sensing the gravity of the situation, the PM has said that what happened in the state (viral video) has put the entire nation to shame. A few political parties are tying to create a needless ruckus in Parliament to ensure that a discussion over Manipur can’t take place,” he said.

“PM has said strictest action will be taken over the incident. We do want a discussion in Parliament over Manipur. I had said this in the all-party meeting and I would like to reiterate on the floor of this august House that we want a discussion on Manipur,” Singh said.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who had earlier taken up the Question Hour, urged members to take their seats.

“Will a solution to problems be found through sloganeering. The solution can be found through talks and discussion. This way is not correct,” he said.

As the din continued, the Speaker adjourned the House till 12 noon.

When the House reassembled, the opposition parties continued their protest.

Rajendra Agrawal,who was in the Chair, took up the listed business of the day amid sloganeering by opposition members.

The opposition members were also carrying placards. They sought of place the placards where the House camera was panning and the face of BJP member Satya Pal Singh, who was moving a motion, was covered for a short while.

Agrawal urged members to take their seats and said the government has indicated its willingness for discussion.

As the sloganeering and protests continued, the House was adjourned for the day.

Opposition parties also pressed their demand in the Rajya Sabha for detailed discussion on Manipur situation and a statement from the Prime Minister in the House.

After the House assembled for the day and papers were laid on the table, opposition members sought to raise the issue and urged the chair to consider their notices on the suspension of business for a detailed discussion on Manipur violence.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari, Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chaddha, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien were among MPs who sought to raise the matter leading to a din.

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar tried to convince the MPs that the government is ready to hold a debate on the matter and there is no confusion about it. A member also asked if a matter pending in the court could be discussed in the House.

As oppositon members continued raising their demand, the Chairman adjourned the House till 2.30 pm.

When the House reassmled, opposition members again raised their deman .

Dhankhar adjourned the House amid the din.

The monsoon session of Parliament began on Thursday and the business on the first day was almost washed out over opposition demand related discussion on Manipur violence. (ANI)

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Opposition Unity Meet Begins In Bengaluru

By LokMarg 17th July 2023

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Monday hit out at the ruling BJP-led government at the Centre accusing it of misusing probe agencies for its political ends and said that the meeting of opposition parties in Bengaluru “will be a game-changer” for India’s politics.

Addressing a press conference here as opposition parties gather in Bengaluru for the meeting, Venugopal alleged that the BJP wants to “silence the voice of opposition” and said disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha and developments in Maharashtra are examples.
Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also addressed the press conference.

Venugopal said the opposition parties had a successful meeting in Patna on June 23.

“Tomorrow 26 political parties will participate in the Bengaluru meeting. We will decide the future course of action during the meeting which will be a game changer for the Indian political scenario. We will also chalk out the Parliament strategy. Now they (BJP) are also meetings, this is the real success of the opposition unity,” he said.

Venugopal said the opposition parties are united by a common purpose – to protect democracy in this country, to ensure the Constitutional rights and the independence of our institutions.

“These all are under attack by the present regime of the BJP Govt. They want to silence the Opposition’s voice. They are misusing agencies to suppress the voice of the Opposition. The disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the Parliament is one of the biggest examples of that. The incident happening in Maharashtra is also an example…”

Earlier speaking to reporters, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that opposition leaders will hold discussion on many issues including EVM machines during the second joint opposition meeting in Bengaluru.

“Agenda of today’s meeting is to be one. Discussion will be held on many issues including EVM machines, Lok Sabha seat sharing, what will be the name of the front,” he said.

The opposition parties are seeking to put up a united front to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The two-day meeting will conclude on Tuesday after a formal meeting of opposition leaders. (ANI)

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SBSP Chief Joins NDA

By LokMarg 16th July 2023

Founder leader of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, Om Prakash Rajbhar, on Sunday formally joined the BJP-led National Democractic Alliance (NDA) government after calling on Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital on July 14.

Speaking to ANI after the saffron embrace in the run-up to the crucial Lok Sabha elections next year, Rajbhar, who led a two-member delegation to the national capital to meet the Union Home Minister, said he was grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for all taking all like-minded parties along.
“We met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on July 14 and deliberated on a range of issues. We also resolved to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together. I want to thank PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and (Uttar Pradesh) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for taking us along,” he told ANI.

The SBSP chief said in another tweet, “We will attend the NDA meeting in Delhi on July 18. The post of minister is not important for me. Now there is no competition in Uttar Pradesh.”

Welcoming his party into the NDA fold, Amit Shah said Rajbhar’s entry will lend further strength to the ruling alliance at the Centre, going into next year’s Lok Sabha elections.

“The arrival of Rajbhar-ji will further strengthen the NDA in Uttar Pradesh. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the NDA is making constant efforts to ensure the well-being of the poor and the deprived sections of our society,” Amit Shah tweeted in Hindi, tagging an image of himself with the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief to his post.

“Met Shri @oprajbharji in Delhi (who) decided to join the NDA alliance led by Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji,” Shah said in another tweet.

Rajbhar is an MLA from Zahoorabad Assembly constituency in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, on Saturday, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan said a final decision on attending the NDA meeting or formally joining the ruling alliance at the Centre ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections will be taken after holding consultations with all party leaders and workers.

BJP National President JP Nadda, earlier on Saturday, wrote to Hindustani Awam Morcha President Jitan Ram Manjhi inviting him to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting that is scheduled to be held on July 18.

This comes weeks after former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence in New Delhi and made his announcement to return to the NDA.

The meeting in the national capital will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting of the NDA is being organized to mark the completion of 9 years of the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (ANI)

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Modi Chairs Meet Of Union Council Of Ministers

By LokMarg 3rd July 2023

A meeting of the Council of Ministers chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is underway at Pragati Maidan Convention Centre.

Sources said some ministries are likely to present a report of various central schemes and their implementation. They said meetings of the Council of Ministers have seen such discussions in the past.
The sources said there may be an important political message from the Prime Minister in view of elections to five states later this year and Lok Sabha polls next year.

The government is preparing agenda for the monsoon session of Parliament which is set to begin on July 20. The opposition is likely to raise the issue of UCC to corner the government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BL Santosh and BJP’s National President JP Nadda last week. The BJP, for the first time, will hold region-wise meetings of the three zones- the eastern, northern and southern – on July 6, 7, and 8.

The BJP is gearing up for assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram to be held later this year as well for the Lok Sabha elections. (ANI)

Patna: Opposition Leaders’ Meet Begins For 2024 LS Polls

By LokMarg 23rd June 2023

The highly-anticipated Opposition meeting begins in Bihar’s Patna hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with an aim to arrive at a consensus to forge a united Opposition front to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The Opposition picked Patna as a venue for its meeting as it represents the 1974 call of total revolution by Jayaprakash Narayan that toppled Indira Gandhi’s majority government.
Ahead of the meeting, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “There is a war of ideology going on in India. On one side is Congress party’s ‘Bharat Jodo’ ideology and on the other RSS and BJP’s ‘Bharat Todo’ ideology …Congress party’s DNA is in Bihar.”

He said that the opposition parties have come together to defeat the BJP.

“BJP is working to spread hate, violence and break the country. We are working to spread love and unite. Opposition parties have come here today and together we will defeat BJP,” he added.

As leaders of several opposition parties arrived in Patna on Thursday, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary decided to skip the conclave due to a “pre-decided family programme”. Chaudhary, however, hoped the meeting will be an “important milestone in the path of opposition unity”.

This came after the Janata Dal (United), which is hosting the meet, said Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has not been invited to the event.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati took a dig at the meeting with sarcastic remark, “Dil mile ya na mile, haath milate rahiye”.

She also used another Hindi proverb “Muh me Ram, bagal me chhuri” and said the opposition parties should have cleared their intentions before the meeting.

The meeting has been called by Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar and will be attended by leaders of parties opposed to the BJP.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti were among the leaders who reached Patna for the meeting.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, MP Sanjay Raut, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah arrived on Friday. (ANI)

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BJP Calls Meeting Of State CMs, Deputy CMs Over 2024 Polls

By LokMarg 8th June 2023

The central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called a meeting of chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states on June 11 in New Delhi, said a party source.

According to the party sources, the agenda of the meeting is likely on upcoming assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha and Union Minister Amit Shah, party president JP Nadda and BL Santosh along with state organisation secretaries will be present in the meeting.

On Wednesday JP Nadda held a special ‘Tiffin Meeting’ with party workers in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddha Nagar, and instructed party workers to remain grounded and find different ways to win the hearts of people.

“At the tiffin meet BJP chief JP Nadda gave an important mantra to party new and old workers and said to party workers that they have to remain grounded and find different ways to win people’s hearts,” a BJP source told ANI.

On the occasion, JP Nadda urged the party workers to remain self-disciplined and be united with each other. “BJP chief told workers that self-discipline is very required for all of us to leave arrogance, and make sure your accountability is there. Don’t be small-hearted, stop showing off to others and be united with each other,” the party source said.

“Most important in any burning matter like farmer’s issue, beti bachao issue or another social issue is that if somebody or opposition try to attack or questions then everyone should try to handle such issues with the polite manner and convince them that BJP is always with society and party work for social welfare. Never be aggressive to anyone,” he added.

BJP National President Nadda also mentioned that the party must maintain its position with dignity and focus on the public welfare. “We are not only the largest party in India, even worldwide we are the largest party. We are larger than the Communist Party of China so we have to remain united and maintain our position with dignity and always work for the public welfare. Every day we should try to connect with new people. We should try to connect with different states, and people and celebrate each other festivals,” Nadda said in a meeting that lasted for 2 hours.

BJP National President JP Nadda was accompanied by BJP State President Bhupendra Chaudhary, Mahesh Sharma and Pankaj Singh and all Gautam Buddha Nagar party workers (ANI)

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Andhra CM’s Uncle Arrested In Former MP’s Murder

By LokMarg 16th April 2023

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday arrested YS Bhaskar Reddy, uncle of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, in connection with the alleged murder of former MP YS Vivekananda Reddy, said sources.

The deceased YS Vivekananda Reddy was a former MLA, a former member of the Lok Sabha and the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council. He was found dead at his residence on March 15, 2019.
Further details are awaited in the matter.

In January, the Supreme Court asked Telangana High Court to consider afresh, on merit, the CBI’s plea seeking cancellation of bail to Gangi Reddy in connection with the alleged murder of YS Vivekananda Reddy.

A bench of justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar observed that in a case where an accused is released on default and thereafter on the filing of the chargesheet, a strong case is made out from the chargesheet and his bail can be cancelled on merit.

Initially, a case was registered by the local police in Pulivendula.

Subsequently, a case under Section 302, read with Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, was registered. A special Investigation Team was constituted by the state government to probe the alleged killing.

During the course of the investigation, the respondent accused was arrested on March 28, 2019. The statutory period of 90 days lapsed on June 26, 2019.

On the very next day of lapsing of 90 days, the respondent accused filed a bail application for default bail, which was allowed by a local court in Pulivendula on June 27, 2019. The accused was released on bail as per the order.

Subsequently and pursuant to the order passed by the High Court dated March 11, 2020, an investigation in the case was given to CBI, which alleged that the investigation revealed that a conspiracy was hatched between four accused along with some other persons to kill the deceased and there were some influenced persons behind the said conspiracy.

CBI filed the initial chargesheet on October 26, 2021, and named the accused. Thereafter the CBI filed an application before the Special Court for cancellation of the bail granted to the respondents, which came to be dismissed by the learned Trial Court vide order dated November 30, 2021.

Thereafter, CBI moved to the High Court which also rejected the agency’s plea. (ANI)

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Seize My House 50 Times, Will Continue To Raise Public Issues: Rahul

By LokMarg 11th April 2023

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre and said that irrespective of the attacks the ruling party unleashes at him, the former MP is not going to stop from raising the issues of the public, and nobody can stop him from representing his erstwhile Lok Sabha constituency Wayanad.

He was addressing a public meeting at Wayanad, after holding a road show in the constituency along with his sister and party leader Priyanka Gandhi.
“Now when I am not an MP, I thought about what it means to be an MP. It means to be a people representative. For that, you have to understand the emotions, sufferings, and difficulties of the people. You should have the ability to touch and treat people like equals, and at times as your superiors. So, a true representative of people develops by giving things that you desire, by fighting for what the people desire, by becoming less arrogant and more humble,” he said while addressing the people at Wayanad.

This is his first visit to his erstwhile Lok Sabha constituency Wayanad after his disqualification from Lok Sabha as a court in Surat convicted him in a defamation case on the ‘Modi surname’ remark.

Spelling out the job of an MP, he said, the main task of the member of Parliament is to raise the issues of the people without fear.

Terming the position of MP as just a “Tag”, he said, “MP is just a tag, a position, a post. BJP can take away my tag, my position, my house, or put me in jail, but they cannot stop me from representing the people of Wayanad. To represent the people of Wayanad, means to represent their issues. There are practical things, buffer zone, night roads, and medical colleges. And I will keep on working on these issues. Don’t think that if I am not an MP, they have disqualified me, and our relationship has ended. Not for 3-4 years, not for my entire life, my relationship won’t be changed,” he said.

The former MP said that he finds it surprising that BJP has not been able to “understand” their opponent even after so many years.

“I have been fighting out the BJP for quite some years. And it surprises me, that in so many years they have been unable to understand their opponent. They do not understand that their opponent will not be intimidated. They think that sending police to my house will make me scared, taking away my house will make me disturbed. I was actually happy, that they took away my house. It was not interesting for me to live in that house. I saw hundreds of hundreds of people losing their house in Wayanad during the floods,” Rahul Gandhi said.

He further added, “Seize my house 50 times, but I will continue to raise the issues of the people of Wayanad and the people of India. You make people fight, and you abuse and threaten people, I will keep fighting for the people and respecting every single community, religion and idea. You continue to be as nasty and evil as you want, and I will continue to be as kind as I can. Because this is a fight between two visions of India. So, we are not scared of your intimidation, in fact, we find it quite amusing”.

He further alleged that he was not asked to speak in parliament, and accused the BJP leaders of “lying” about him.

“I went to Parliament and asked the Prime minister some questions about a businessman. I asked Mr Modi please explain your relationship with Mr Adani. I showed how the defence relationship between India and Israel was transformed, and the rules of the airports were changed, to help Mr Adani. The Prime Minister did not answer. The first time you saw, the government himself not allowing the Parliament to function,” Rahul Gandhi said.

The former Congress President added that the more BJP attacks him, the more he will continue to walk on the right path.

“The rule is that if anyone says anything about an MP, he has the right to reply. I went to Speaker with that rule, also but still, I was not allowed to speak. And because the government was uncomfortable with the type of issues I raise, I was removed from the Parliament. Doesn’t matter, it is the biggest gift that you can give me. Because now, I know that if BJP is attacking me, taking my house, and removing me from Parliament, I am doing the right thing. I am not going to stop,” he added. (ANI)

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Surat Court Extends Rahul’s Bail Till April 13

By LokMarg 3rd April 2023

The hearing in the case challenging Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in the 2019 defamation case will next be held on May 3 at the Surat District and Sessions Court, which on Monday extended his bail till April 13.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today reached Surat where he filed an appeal seeking a stay on his conviction by a Surat magistrate court for the defamation case over his remark on the ‘Modi surname’. The court had earlier given time of 30 days to the Congress leader to appeal its order.
After the Surat court’s verdict, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Lok Sabha.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and senior leaders including chief ministers of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh reached Surat from their respective states had accompanied Gandhi to the Gujarat court. Priyanka was seen with Rahul Gandhi aboard an IndiGo flight from Delhi.

The former MP from Wayanad was convicted and sentenced to two years in hail by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Varma on March 23 in a defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark in 2019 in Karnataka.

The defamation case was filed against Gandhi by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi for saying “How come all thieves have the common surname Modi?”

The Bharatiya Janata Party came down heavily on Rahul Gandhi for accompanying his family and party leaders to file an appeal in the appellate court in Surat against his conviction by a magistrate court in the 2019 criminal defamation case.

BJP spokesperson held a press conference earlier today to lash out at Rahul Gandhi and alleged that the Congress leader is going with his family and some chief ministers “with pomp and show” to “repeat and add to the insult” of the OBC community.

“Rahul Gandhi, his family members, CMs Ashok Gehlot & Bhupesh Baghel are going to Surat & will be creating mayhem in the name of appealing (against the two-year sentence) verdict. What’s the need for this ruckus?” Patra said.

“Rahul Gandhi, is it not true that you used a casteist remark against the OBC community? You called them a thief and abused them. You are going to Surat with your family, and some chief ministers with pomp and show. Do you want to pressurise the judiciary? Appealing is a democratic right. You are going to augment the insult that you have thrown to the OBC community by going and staging this kind of protest in Surat. Are you trying to pressurise the Indian judiciary through these gimmicks of yours?” Patra said.

Further slamming Rahul Gandhi over his “arrogance”, the BJP leader alleged that he was not ready to apologise to the lower court for his remark.

“The lower court had given him (Rahul Gandhi) the opportunity to apologise, but he denied stating that he is Rahul and will not apologise. Rahul and responsibility never go together. Why is this arrogance? The Supreme Court had pulled him up for his remarks over Narendra Modi. He wasn’t ready to apologise in Supreme Court, but the court made him apologise in written in the form of affidavit,” Patra said.

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju alleged that the Congress party is doing drama to “threaten the judiciary”. “They (Congress) are doing a drama to threaten the judiciary. I condemn it. If a court has convicted somebody, then the drama is basically about pressuring. Congress party considers a family above the country…” told reporters outside Parliament today.

Rijiju also posted a tweet saying, “Rahul Gandhi might be going to Surat to file an appeal. It is not required of a convict to go personally to file an appeal. Generally, no convict goes personally. His going personally with a motley group of leaders and aides accompanying him is only a drama.”

The Union Minister said, “What Rahul Gandhi is doing is also a childish attempt to bring pressure on the appellate court. All courts in the country are immune from such tactics.”

Union Minister Anurag Thakur also hit out at the Congress. “India won’t tolerate the insult of backwards…Earlier, PV Narasimha Rao, P Chidambaram, DK Shivakumar went to jail too, how many Congress people went with them? Is one family bigger than the country?,” Thakur asked.

However, the Congress leaders said that they are accompanying Rahul Gandhi to show solidarity with him.

Chhattisgarh chief minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel questioned the BJP’s logic. “I am going with my leader (Rahul Gandhi), how can this be pressure on the judiciary? They (BJP) are creating a ruckus in West Bengal and Bihar. Till now no appeal has come from PM Modi and Amit Shah…,” Baghel told reporters.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “We will not debate the court’s decision but will fight against injustice. It is not a show of strength. He is our leader. Everyone goes to stand by a leader. The family members go along when there is even a normal case. This is a party and we are fighting for the country. We will reach there. It is the decision of the whole party, he has not called us.”

Himachal chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, who is also accompanying Rahul rubbished the allegation of “drama” levelled by the BJP.

“No one can pressurise judiciary. We are going to Surat. Congress is the main opposition party and Rahul Gandhi is big leader of our party. This is not a political drama. We stand by him…,” Sukhu said.

Meanwhile, there was heavy security deployed in Surat where Congress party workers gathered outside District and Sessions Court in support of their party leader. “Given the presence of Rahul Gandhi in Surat district court the Surat city police have deployed the police force wherever there is a possibility of movement. We will also be starting frisking and checking,” Sagar Bagmar, DCP Zone-4 Surat told ANI. (ANI)

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