BY THE EDITOR
The Supreme Court on August 4 stayed Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a 2019 defamation case over his Modi surname remark. The apex court said that Gandhi’s conviction and subsequent disqualification did not affect only his right to continue as a representative of the people but also his responsibility to fight for their rights and privileges since they have elected him as per the Constitution of the country. Meanwhile the Court remarked that the utterances by Gandhi were not however in good taste and he should have been therefore more cautious. The Congress expressed immense joy and happiness at the good news saying that it is the victory of truth, democracy and the Constitution. Ronnie V.Lyngdoh, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader,Meghalaya hailed the judiciary for protecting the justice of all the country’s citizens and concluded by saying the people can still have faith in the legal system of the country which is very important.
More than four months after he was disqualified Rahul Gandhi was reinstated as Member of Parliament by Lok Sabha Secretariat on August 7. During all these months Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency did not have its representative in Lok Sabha and after his restoration its people greatly rejoiced and hoped he will make up for lost time. Few months more are left for the next Lok Sabha general elections in April 2014.When reporters asked if Rahul Gandhi will speak during the no-confidence motion discussion in Lok Sabha next Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress president had said, “he will definitely speak.” Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that on real issues the voice of the people will reverberate again in Parliament. Jammu and Kashmir National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah expressed his happiness that Gandhi is back in the House. However BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi reminded that Rahul Gandhi has not been declared “ doshmukt (acquitted) and only a stay has been given on the conviction.” He added that the matter is still pending with the court in Gujarat and we should therefore wait for it.
Keen political observers said that the development on Rahul Gandhi has unnerved the Modi government and his presence in the House will make members of the treasury benches nervous and uneasy especially after the great success of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the return of the Congress in recent Karnataka’s election. During the Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022 Rahul Gandhi had walked about 3,750 km. from Kanya Kumari in South India to Kashmir meeting people of all castes and creeds and interacting freely with them. He became a changed person after seeing different people with his own eyes and listening to their problems. Rahul too determined not to let down his people but to work more in order to change the face of Mother India and make its citizens proud and happy. Hence the days ahead are indeed challenging especially with the coming Lok Sabha general elections within few months.