Amid Rahul’s conviction, Congress calls urgent meeting today

NEW DELHI: The Congress has also called an urgent meeting of its steering committee members, PCC presidents, CLP leaders and frontal organization chiefs at party headquarter in the national capital on Friday evening. Party president Kharge will preside over the meeting.

A day after its MP Rahul Gandhi was convicted by a Surat court in a defamation case and sentenced to two years in jail, the Congress party has today planned a massive agitation.

It has planned a protest at the Vijay Chowk here today.

The party said it also plans to meet President Droupadi Murmu with other parties over the issue.

Congress is also expected to raise the issue in Parliament during the ongoing second leg of the Budget Session.

Heavy security was seen deployed at Vijay Chowk after the Congress call for a protest march against the verdict sentencing party MP Rahul Gandhi.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday convened a meeting of senior party leaders and MPs at his residence where it was decided that a protest would be staged at Vijay Chowk.

"They (BJP) are doing this to sidestep the main issue. Congress has always stood by OBC, SC, ST, Backward class and minorities and fought for them," Kharge said on the conviction of Rahul Gandhi.

On Thursday, Surat District Court sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years of imprisonment in a criminal defamation case. He was later granted bail by the court and his sentence suspended for 30 days to let him appeal the decision.

The Surat District Court pronounced the verdict in the case for his alleged "how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" remarks on a complaint lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. Gandhi had made the alleged remarks about Modi's surname at a rally in Karnataka's Kolar, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, according to legal experts, as a consequence of the Surat District Court's verdict, Rahul Gandhi can be disqualified as MP.

The Supreme Court in a 2013 verdict had said that any MP or MLA stands disqualified from the time of his conviction if a sentence of two or more years is pronounced.

Reacting to the District Court's verdict, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh in a tweet on Thursday said that Rahul Gandhi was being punished for speaking the truth and raising his voice against the dictator.

Ramesh had also added that the law of the country gives Rahul Gandhi an opportunity to appeal so he will exercise this right and that they're not afraid.

On Thursday, the Rajasthan Congress in support of Rahul Gandhi and against the misuse of central agencies protested outside the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) headquarters and raised slogans against the Modi government. "An appeal will be made in the High Court.

Congress workers from all over the country are standing in support of Rahul Gandhi and his ideology", Dotasara had told ANI.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday in a tweet said that his religion was based on truth and non-violence after he was found guilty in the criminal defamation case filed against him over his alleged 'Modi surname' remark.