Calling thief a thief has become a crime, says Uddhav on Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification
Congress allies in the state—Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT)—have come in support of Rahul Gandhi following his disqualification as a member of Parliament a day after his conviction in a defamation case in Surat
Mumbai: Congress allies in the state—Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT)—have come in support of Rahul Gandhi following his disqualification as a member of Parliament a day after his conviction in a defamation case in Surat.
Criticising the disqualification, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, said that “calling a thief a thief” has become a crime in this country and asserted it was the “beginning of the end of dictatorship.
NCP supremo Sharad Pawar condemned the action and said it was against the principles of the Constitution.
All the three Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) parties staged a walk out and also held a protest on the Vidhan Bhavan premises soon after Gandhi was disqualified by the Lok Sabha secretariat on Friday afternoon. Congress legislators even wore black ribbons, while participating in the assembly proceedings.
“Thieves and those who robbed our country are still free and Rahul Gandhi has been handed out punishment,” Thackeray remarked. “This would be the beginning of the end of the dictatorship, just the fight for the same needs to be given direction,” he added.
Pawar said that the disqualification of Gandhi and NCP MP Mohammed Faizal were against the basic tenets of the Constitution, where democratic values were being curtailed. “This is condemnable and against the very principles on which the Constitution is based… We all need to stand together to defend our democratic institutions.”
The veteran leader said that the Constitution guarantees the right of each individual to fair justice; liberty of thought; equality of status and opportunity and fraternity assuring the dignity of each Indian.
Condemning the action, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said, “BJP was trying to get Gandhi disqualified for a long time. It is an unfortunate decision and murder of democracy.”
Faizal was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on January 11, the day of his conviction by a sessions court in Kavaratti (Lakshadweep), as announced in a notification by the Lok Sabha secretariat on January 13. His conviction was put on hold by the Kerala high court and the law ministry has recommended his reinstatement.
Meanwhile, the BJP state unit has announced a statewide protest on Saturday to condemn ‘insult to OBCs’ by Gandhi. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said that key party leaders will participate in the protest to condemn the remarks by Rahul Gandhi against the ‘Modi’ community.
“His remarks against the people with Modi surname have led to the insult to the OBC community and for it a Surat court has convicted him. His remark is an insult to the country as it was made outside the country,” he said.