A divided Opposition unites for disqualified MP Rahul Gandhi, accuse BJP murdering democracy

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on Friday, 24 March, suspended from the Lok Sabha, a day after a Surat court convicted him in a defamation case and handed down a two-year sentence.

The suspension order from the Lok Sabha Secretariat led to an uproar from the Congress party and its allies.

Political rivals from the Opposition like the TMC and Bharatiya Rashtra Samiti also came in support of the former Wayanad MP.

All parties were unanimous in their attack on the BJP, targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

From Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee, K Chandrashekar Rao, MK Stalin and Pinarayi Vijayan among other leaders came scathing attacks like ‘murder of democracy’, ‘undeclared Emergency’ and ‘blatant misinterpretation of Constitution’.

While the Congress vowed to fight it out in court, the BJP retorted that the suspension was according to rule of law.