New Delhi: The Congress will stage a satyagraha on Sunday against Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as an MP from Lok Sabha after a Surat court sentenced him to two years jail in a defamation case.
The satyagraha — nonviolent resistance — will be held at 10 am at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Raj Ghat and at all district headquarters across all States and Union Territories.
Leaders, including the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi, will take part in the protest.
The national leadership has asked its state units also to organise similar protests.
The All-India Congress Committee (AICC) has directed the respective state units to stage the protest in front of a Gandhi statue or a portrait of the Mahatma prepared specifically for the purpose.
Meanwhile, the appeal against the verdict of the Surat court will be filed early next week.
Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as an MP on Friday, a day after the Surat court convicted him in a criminal defamation case filed by BJP legislator Purnesh Modi over a 2019 comment.
The case was filed against Rahul Gandhi for his “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” remark, while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Rahul was representing the Wayanad seat in the lower house of the Parliament.
Protest in Thiruvananthapuram
The protest in Thiruvananthapuram will be held at the Gandhi Park at East Fort (Kizhakkekotta). Leaders, including Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran, will take part in the satyagraha from 10 am to 5 pm.
The protest in Thiruvananthapuram and district headquarters on Sunday is over the Central Government’s vengeful action against Rahul Gandhi for his revelation in Parliament about the Modi-Adani unholy alliance, said T U Radhakrishnan, organisation general secretary of the party.
40 cases filed over clashes
Meanwhile, the police have registered cases against 40 persons in connection with the clashes that took place during the Raj Bhavan march taken out by Kerala Students Union (KSU) and Youth Congress activists on Friday.
In Pathanamthitta, the picketing of the post office by the district committee of the Youth Congress ended up in violence. The police took the protesters into custody. Those who attempted to resist were dragged to the police jeep. The furniture and window panes of the post office were damaged in the melee. Nine persons, including district president M G Kannan and State working committee member Nahas were arrested and taken to the police station. Youth Congress workers began a protest in front of the police station demanding that those who were arrested should be released. Later, the arrested persons were released on bail.
Case against Rijil Makutty
Kannur: The Town Police have registered a case against Rijil Makutty, State vice president of the Youth Congress, who posted a message on Facebook stating that the nation’s streets should be turned riotous in protest against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as Member of Parliament. The case was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by the BJP district vice president P R Rajan to the City Police Commissioner.
Police carrying out manhunt: Satheesan
Kochi: Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan has charged that even as the Chief Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) had issued statements expressing their support to Rahul Gandhi, the police were mercilessly hunting down workers of the Kerala Students Union and the Youth Congress who staged protests.
What happened in front of the Raj Bhavan and in Kozhikode was a cruel manhunt. He questioned who had given the police the authority to beat and break the heads of the protesters. He said the United Democratic Front (UDF) was continuing with its agitation against the “tax robbery” and added that April 1 would be observed as Black Day.