RaGa to Challenge Defamation Conviction; Congress Show of Strength in Surat

Surat: Rahul Gandhi will appear in a Gujarat court on Monday to appeal against his conviction and two-year imprisonment sentence in a 2019 defamation case related to his “Modi surname” remark in Karnataka’s Kolar.

He will appeal to the sessions court in Surat. According to sources, the former Congress president will also seek for an interim stay on the conviction. This stay order can restore his Lok Sabha membership.

Rahul Gandhi will be accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the Chief Ministers of three Congress-ruled states – Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Rahul Gandhi is expected to reach Surat at around 2 pm. Ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the city, posters and hoardings of RaGa, Priyanka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were seen on the streets with party flags.

On March 23, Rahul Gandhi was convicted and sentenced to a two-year jail term for his “Modi surname” remarks which he made while addressing an election rally in Karnataka in 2019. The court had held the Congress leader guilty under Indian Penal Code sections 499 and 500. A day later, he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha following his conviction by the Surat court in the case.