Wayanad (Kerala) [India], April 11 : Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government at the centre and said that Rahul Gandhi was disqualified for asking questions that the BJP could not answer.
While addressing a public meeting in Wayanad, Priyanka said, "Rahul Gandhi was disqualified for asking a question that they (BJP) could not answer. The whole government is trying to defend Gautam Ad. The PM is defending Ad."
"The BJP is hellbent on turning our democracy on its head. PM is changing his dressing style every day but there is no change in the lifestyle of common people. They are struggling for jobs," she added.
Alleging that the country was heading towards dictatorship, Priyanka said, "What has happened to my brother is just a symptom, it is a symptom of how far we are down the path towards dictatorship today. Today the government feels that it can silence any dissent."
Heaping praises on Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka said, "You know that he is an honest man, unafraid to speak the truth. You know that he is a brave man undaunted by the powers of those who want to silence him."
Mentioning Gujarat Court's judgment on her brother, she said, "Now, a court in Gujarat has passed a judgement after which the government has disqualified him from parliament as your MP. His future as your MP is in the hands of the courts."
Notably, Rahul was disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha after a Gujarat Court convicted him in a 2019 defamation case for a remark using the surname 'Modi'. The court sentenced the Congress leader to two years imprisonment.The sentence was later suspended for 30 days during which Rahul can appeal against his conviction.
"To ask questions, to demand accountability, to raise issues is the job of a parliamentarian," she added.
Targeting the central government, she said, "I find it even strange that a whole government, every minister, every MP, even the Prime Minister finds it acceptable and appropriate to malign and mercilessly attack one man just because he asked a question they could not respond to."
"Brothers and sisters, the truth is always uncomfortable, especially for those who lie, those who unleash an industrial scale of propaganda against anyone who dares to question them," she added.
The defamation case against Rahul Gandhi was filed by former BJP MLA Purnesh Modi.
After the disqualification of Rahul's membership from the Lok Sabha, the Congress has been vocal in protests all over the country. The grand old party has been making an effort to rally like-minded Opposition players around it in the wake of Rahul's loss of membership in the Lower House.
Rahul's disqualification is the latest in a series of flashpoints between the Congress and the ruling BJP, with a united Opposition calling it a ploy to divert public attention from the Ad issue.
Rahul Gandhi was elected to Lok Sabha in 2019 from Wayanad in Kerala. The party has said that it will challenge the Surat court verdict in a higher court.
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