On Friday, India's parliament disqualified the leader of the opposition Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, a day after he was sentenced to two years in jail in a defamation case related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname.
According to a notice issued by the parliament, Gandhi "stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha," which is the lower house of parliament.
The case dates back to 2019 when Gandhi referred to thieves as having the surname Modi during a campaign speech before the general election. He was found guilty by a court in Gujarat and granted bail, with the sentence being suspended for a month.
A spokesperson for the Congress party said they would appeal the verdict in a higher court and vowed to fight the battle legally and politically.
Meanwhile, Congress party members protested in several parts of the country, alleging that the verdict was politically motivated and blaming Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
BJP President J.P. Nadda rejected the charges and accused Gandhi of insulting a section of Indians who share the same surname as the Prime Minister. He further added that the Congress party has never followed the rules of a healthy debate when it comes to questioning government policies.
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