Rahul Gandhi: India's Congress leader sentenced to 2 years jail for Modi remark

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-65048602

7 2 3 years ago

> The Congress MP was convicted by the court in Gujarat state for 2019 comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname at an election rally.
> India's parliament has disqualified senior opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, a day after he was sentenced.

2 quick steps to remove your opposition leader from parliament.

ta_vf7xjd34cc• 3 years ago

A video of his 2019 speech that got him into trouble.[1] For those who don't understand Hindi, he is saying: "A small question. Their names, the names of these thieves, why are they Modi, Modi, Modi. Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi. And if you search some more, you will find a lot more Modis."

The implication is that all Modis are thieves. The surname is common among the "Teli" community which is categorized as an OBC (other backward classes) community in India. And a man from the community who carries the same surname and is a BJP politician filed the criminal defamation case.[2]

People may not like the British Raj-era law. But no one, including the three prime ministers of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, bothered to scrap it in the 60 years that they ruled India.

What are the courts expected to do? Make special exceptions for political royalty? But, that is exactly what will happen. A higher court will intervene and fix this problem because it is a Gandhi that is being inconvenienced.

A Gandhi, a Bush or a Clinton will never see the inside of the prison. Political systems and courts do not work that way.

[1] Rahul Gandhi 2019 Remark: "How Come All Thieves Have Modi As The Common Surname" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5-h5tu9z_A)

[2] 'Teli' community leaders seek apology from Rahul Gandhi for ‘Modi’ surname remark (https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/teli-community-lea...)

Rahul Gandhi: India's Congress leader sentenced to 2 years jail for Modi remark

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