After being sentenced to two years in prison for defamation, the Indian opposition politician Rahul Gandhi is no longer allowed to carry out his work as a member of the lower house. This was decided by the Indian Parliament on Friday. An Indian court had previously sentenced the great-grandson, grandson and son of former heads of government to two years in prison for defaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other people with the surname Modi.
Till Fähnders
Political correspondent for Southeast Asia.
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Under current rules, MEPs sentenced to at least two years' imprisonment will be immediately disqualified. In addition, they are not allowed to vote in elections for six years. The 52-year-old politician remains free on bail for 30 days and can also appeal against the verdict.
Gandhi's party colleague Shashi Tharoor wrote on Twitter that he was "stunned" by the decision and its swift execution just 24 hours after the verdict. "This is politics with hard bandages and does not bode well for our democracy." In the capital, New Delhi, some members of Gandhi's Congress Party demonstrated on Friday against the verdict, which they see as politically motivated. "Democracy is in danger," read a banner they carried. Some protesters were arrested by the police.
Criticism of corruption
Gandhi had gone to parliament in the morning and demanded to be allowed to speak there. Then the lower house called Lokh Saba had adjourned its session. For days, the chamber has barely functioned because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Prime Minister Narendra Modi is demanding an apology from Gandhi for a critical speech he gave during a visit to London.
The conviction of the opposition politician goes back to a speech in 2019, in which he had indirectly accused the Prime Minister of corruption. "Why do all thieves have Modi as their last name?" he said at a campaign event. He then listed people wanted for criminal activities, as well as the prime minister himself.
The lawsuit against Gandhi was filed by a member of the ruling BJP party named Purnesh Modi in Gujarat. Gandhi asserts that he only wanted to criticize corruption in the country with his statements.