Rahul Gandhi's disqualification goes against basic tenets of Constitution, says Sharad Pawar

Mumbai, March 25

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as a Lok Sabha member was against the basic tenets of the Constitution and was a “condemnable” move that highlighted the curtailment of democratic values, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has said.

Gandhi, representing Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala, was on Friday disqualified from the Lok Sabha, a day after his conviction in a defamation case by a court in Surat in Gujarat.

The court sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in a defamation case over his “Modi surname” remarks at a 2019 poll rally in Karnataka. However, the court also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court.

Commenting on the development on Friday, the NCP supremo also referred to the disqualification of his party MP from Lakshadweep Mohammed Faizal PP following the latter’s conviction in an attempt to murder case. Faizal’s conviction was later suspended by the Kerala High Court.

“The disqualification of Rahul Gandhi and Faizal a few months ago as MPs of the Lok Sabha is against the basic tenets of the Constitution, where democratic values are being curtailed. This is condemnable and against the very principles on which the Constitution is based,” Pawar tweeted.