Congress workers in Kerala jubilant after SC stays Rahul’s conviction in defamation case
The Hindu
Congress workers in Kerala erupted in elation as news about the Supreme Court giving Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament representing the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, a reprieve by staying his conviction in a defamation case against him for his remarks allegedly about the Modi community
Congress workers in Kerala erupted in elation as news about the Supreme Court giving Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament representing the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, a reprieve by staying his conviction in a defamation case against him for his remarks allegedly about the Modi community.
Though the Congress had earlier challenged in the Gujarat High Court (HC) the trial court’s sentence awarding Mr. Gandhi the maximum punishment of two years, the HC had refused to stay the sentence. This had led to Mr. Gandhi’s disqualification as Lok Sabha MP.
Celebrations broke out at the Congress headquarters in the capital and in Wayanad, where Congress workers distributed sweets in celebration of the come back of Mr. Gandhi.
In his Facebook post, soon after the pronouncement of the verdict by the Supreme Court, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said that it was a victory of truth. The Congress party could not be silenced or intimidated by the Sangh Parivar and the party would continue its fight against fascism and the politics of hate, he said.
The Congress had full faith in the Constitution, the judiciary and the law of the land and, more over, the people of Kerala and India were firmly behind Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Satheesan said.
The BJP was not just targeting Mr. Gandhi as an individual but was seeking crooked means to destroy the ideas and philosophies put forth by the Congress. The Supreme Court had effectively put a stop to this malicious intent of the BJP. This was a pronouncement that the entire country had been waiting for, for it signalled a victory for Mr. Gandhi, the Congress and the democratic values upheld by the party, Mr. Satheesan said.
Mr. Gandhi had been relentless in his opposition of the Sangh Parivar and his continuous questioning of the unholy nexus between Narendra Modi-Amit Shah and the corporates had been the ineptitude that many found in Mr. Gandhi. But for those who uphold secular and democratic values, this had been the most enduring quality of Mr. Gandhi, he said.
The Opposition Congress demanded that the government open the Gandhi Vatika Museum, depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and freedom struggle, built at a cost of ₹85 crore in Jaipur’s Central Park last year, during the Congress-led regime in Rajasthan. The museum has not been opened to the public, reportedly because of the administration’s engagements with the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Almaya Munnettam (Lay People to the Fore), group in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed to the synod-recommended Mass, rejected a circular issued by Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and apostolic administrator Bosco Puthur on June 9 to implement the unified Mass in the archdiocese from July 3.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.