Thane: Congress holds demonstration against Rahul's disqualification

Congress held a protest in Maharashtra's Thane city against Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case and his disqualification as an MP, while the BJP and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena held separate demonstrations over his remark that allegedly hurt the sentiments of the Other Backward Class (OBC).

Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on Friday, nearly 24 hours after a court in Gujarat's Surat convicted him in a 2019 defamation case. The disqualification from the Lok Sabha will bar Gandhi (52), a four-time MP, from contesting polls for eight years unless a higher court stays his conviction.

The Congress held a protest near the statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in Thane city against Gandhi's disqualification. The protest was led by the grand old party's city unit president Vikrant Chavan. The protesters carried placards and banners and shouted slogans against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

After some time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and workers staged a protest at the same venue against Gandhi. Former party corporator Milind Patankar led the protest, in which they said that Gandhi must undergo jail term in the case.