Days After Disqualification, Rahul Gandhi to Hold Rally in Karnataka

AHmedAbAd: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will return to the Kolar region of Karnataka for the first time since being convicted for two years in a defamation case by a Surat court over an election speech in Kolar in 2019 where he was accused of equating Prime Minister Narendra Modi with economic offenders.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Congress working president Saleem Ahmed said the rally will have the theme of ‘Satyameva Jayathe’ and will be used as a forum to protest the manner in which Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha following conviction by a Gujarat court in a defamation case.

Former Congress MP from Kolar K H Muniyappa in a press conference on Tuesday said Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge have decided to hold a rally in Kolar on April 5 as a part of the Congress campaign for the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.

“The venue of the event is not finalised yet. We are looking at a couple of places for the event and more than one lakh people are expected to take part. The BJP is creating a situation where the survival of democracy is being questioned. We have to put an end to this,” Muniyappa said.

The senior Congress leader said people would be gathered from the regions of rural Bengaluru, Chikaballapura and Tumkuru for the April 5 rally.

“In 2019, Rahul Gandhi had campaigned on my behalf and some persons have accused him of defaming Modi in his speech. A specific two-year jail term has been awarded with the intent of disqualification since a lesser term cannot lead to disqualification. He will have his first public rally in Kolar since being disqualified. Since the issue had cropped up from Kolar, he has decided to start the campaign from Kolar,” said Muniyappa.

The Kolar was recently in news after former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah showed his willingness to contest from the Kolar Assembly seat and his subsequent U-turn on the advice of the central leadership of Congress in view of the risks involved in the region due to the lack of a strong party base.

The Congress Tuesday sought to rest questions about the party not filing an appeal against Rahul

Gandhi’s conviction in the defamation case yet, saying the legal team would do so “as early as possible”.

While several party leaders too said in private that they were unable to understand the delay, sources in Rahul’s legal team said the appeal is likely to be filed by the end of this week.

Addressing a press conference with Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh Tuesday, party general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said: “Filing an appeal can’t be done hastily… Our legal team is looking at all the aspects. We will do it as early as possible.”

“We will do (it). Don’t worry,” Venugopal added.

Asked about the BJP raising questions on why the party had not filed an appeal in a Surat Sessions Court even five days after the verdict, Venugopal said: “That is their issue. Why are you asking us? Rahul Gandhi has given a clear statement. Whether he is put in jail or disqualified as an MP… he is not worried about anything. He will continue to ask questions.”

Venugopal also said the party has complete faith in its legal team, quashing suggestions that the latter were to blame for the delay. “Saying that this is the fault of the legal team… is to indirectly justify the BJP government,” he said.

Sources in Rahul’s legal team said there was “no sinister design” behind the delay in filing the appeal, and added that the translation of the verdict from Gujarati and collection of evidence were taking time.

On the Surat magistrate court’s order convicting Rahul, Venugopal asked why the defamation case against Rahul had been filed in Gujarat when the speech in question was made in Kolar in Karnataka. “What is the jurisdiction of Gujarat?… This is a clearly designed project to disqualify Rahul Gandhi,” he said.

Venugopal also unveiled a protest programme to be held by the SC, ST, OBC and minority wings of the party in front of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi statues at all district headquarters on Wednesday, and in state capitals on April 1.

Besides, the party will hold Jai Bharat satyagrahas at block and mandal levels from March 29 to April 8, district level from April 15 to 20, and state level from April 20 to 30. “Friendly parties” and “civil society” organisations will be asked to join the state-level satyagrahas. Finally, there will be a satyagraha at the national level.

The satyagraha, Venugopal said, is “in protest against the erroneous conviction and disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, and to express the Congress party’s resolve to keep raising the voice of the people against the blatant looting of the people’s money and nation’s wealth by Modani”.

He said the Youth Congress, NSUI, other frontal departments and cells of the party will send postcards to Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the first week of April, “questioning him on relevant issues”.