“I don’t care about being disqualified for life or being jailed”: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Addressing the media a day after being disqualified as the Lok Sabha MP from Kerala’s Wayanad, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday rebuked BJP and PM Modi for diverting the Adani issue by bringing fringe issues into mainstream.

He said he was not afraid and did not care about disqualification or being jailed. “I am not afraid and I don’t care about being disqualified for life or being jailed. I will keep doing my work. Will keep questioning PM Modi and Adani’s ties. I will continue to fight for the truth, which has now become my motto,” said Rahul Gandhi.

“I have been disqualified because the Prime Minister is scared about my next speech, and I have seen it in his eyes. That is why, first the distraction and then the disqualification,” he added.

He said PM Modi and Adani have old bonhomie and it began when the former was Gujarat’s CM. “Question remains who invested Rs 20,000 Cr in Adani shell firms. Will keep asking the question,” Rahul Gandhi said.

On disqualification, Rahul said the entire game was planned to divert discussion from the Adani issue.  Speaking about BJP’s allegation on seeking foreign intervention to ‘restore democracy’ in India, Rahul said BJP ministers lied about him and he never sought any such intervention.

Taking up the Opposition’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee Probe into the Adani row a notch higher, he said, “My job is to defend the democratic nature of the country, which means defending the institutions of the country, defending the voice of the poor people of the country and telling people the truth about people like Adani who are exploiting the relationship they have with the PM.”