India Expels Rahul Gandhi, Modi Critic, From Parliament

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s high opposition chief and fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expelled from Parliament Friday, a day after a court docket convicted him of defamation and sentenced him to 2 years in jail for mocking the surname Modi in an election speech.

The actions in opposition to Rahul Gandhi, the great-grandson of India’s first prime minister, have been broadly condemned by opponents of Modi as the newest assaults in opposition to democracy and free speech by a ruling authorities looking for to crush dissent. Eradicating Gandhi from politics delivered a significant blow to the opposition get together he led forward of subsequent yr’s nationwide elections.

A neighborhood court docket from Modi’s dwelling state of Gujarat convicted Gandhi on Thursday for a 2019 speech during which he requested, “Why do all thieves have Modi as their surname?” Gandhi then referred to 3 well-known and unrelated Modis within the speech: a fugitive Indian diamond tycoon, a cricket govt banned from the Indian Premier League match and the prime minister.

Below Indian legislation, a legal conviction and jail sentence of two years or extra are grounds for expulsion from Parliament, however Gandhi is out on bail for 30 days and plans to enchantment.

Opposition lawmakers rallied to his protection on Friday, calling his expulsion a brand new low for India’s constitutional democracy.

Modi’s critics say India’s democracy — the world’s largest with almost 1.4 billion individuals — has been in retreat since he first got here to energy in 2014. They accuse his populist authorities of preoccupying itself with pursuing a Hindu nationalist agenda, a cost his administration has denied.

“I’m preventing for the voice of this nation. I’m able to pay any worth,” Gandhi, 52, wrote on Twitter.

Gandhi’s household, beginning along with his great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, has produced three prime ministers. Two of them — his grandmother Indira Gandhi and father, Rajiv Gandhi — have been assassinated in workplace.

Gandhi has projected himself as the principle challenger to the Modi authorities, however his Indian Nationwide Congress get together has fared poorly over the past two common elections. He has been making an attempt to woo voters in current months by elevating problems with corruption and accusing the Modi authorities of tarnishing India’s repute for democracy.

Late final yr Gandhi led a well-liked “unity march” throughout large swaths of India, rallying crowds in opposition to the Modi authorities and the Hindu nationalism that has surged beneath his management.

Opponents blame Modi’s political get together for rising hate speech and violence in opposition to Muslims and different minorities lately. Modi’s energy has coincided with growing assaults on the press and free speech, the jailing of activists and a crackdown on dissent.

Modi’s get together has denied the accusations and his supporters say the tea vendor’s son from Gujarat state has improved the nation’s standing.

Gandhi has additionally attacked the federal government over Modi’s proximity to enterprise tycoon Gautam Adani, who in January was accused by an American analysis and funding agency betting in opposition to his firm of participating in fraud and stock-price manipulation. Earlier than his expulsion, Gandhi had known as for an investigation into Adani’s companies, whose market worth has plummeted by tens of billions of {dollars}. Modi’s get together say he has no hyperlinks with Adani.

If Gandhi’s conviction is just not suspended or overturned by the next court docket, he faces the danger of not with the ability to contest nationwide elections in 2024, though some analysts say an eventual return to politics is feasible.

“This might really additionally present an impetus for the opposition to lastly sink their variations and are available collectively in a united struggle in opposition to Modi,” stated Arti Jerath, a political commentator.

Gandhi’s political get together stated the conviction, which they plan to enchantment, was “cowardly and dictatorial” and leaders warned that his expulsion might do long-term harm to the nation.

“That is politics with the gloves off and it bodes ailing for our democracy,” stated Shashi Tharoor, a lawmaker from Gandhi’s get together.

Modi’s critics level to his get together’s assaults in opposition to opposition leaders, rights teams and media shops crucial of the federal government.

Final month India’s tax officers raided BBC workplaces in New Delhi and Mumbai weeks after it aired a documentary crucial of Modi. The documentary examined his function in 2002 anti-Muslim riots within the western state of Gujarat, the place he was chief minister on the time. Greater than 1,000 individuals have been killed within the violence.

Modi has denied allegations that authorities beneath his watch allowed and even inspired the bloodshed, and the Supreme Court docket stated it discovered no proof to prosecute him.

Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a political analyst, stated the ruling get together had develop into more and more angered by Gandhi’s corruption accusations and that his line of assault in opposition to the Adani Group was “proving an excessive amount of for the governing get together.”

Gandhi’s expulsion additionally got here after fourteen political events filed a petition to India’s high court docket alleging that Modi’s authorities was engaged in politically motivated financial-crime investigations of opposition leaders. The Supreme Court docket stated it can take up the petition within the first week of April.