The decision of the Lok Sabha secretariat to disqualify Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from membership of the Lok Sabha after a Gujarat court found him guilty of defamation for a 2019 campaign trail remark seen as insulting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Modi surname has left everyone baffled and also worried. The court had granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal to a higher court. The haste with which the Lok Sabha secretariat acted shows the political vindictiveness on the part of the ruling BJP.
Gandhi has been one of the most vocal critics of the Narendra Modi government. At a time when the majority of opposition leaders, activists, journalists, etc, who are critical of the ruling dispensation has been silenced, Gandhi is seen as a ray of hope. The BJP, by deciding to bitterly target him, shows that they still see him as a potent threat politically. A combative Rahul Gandhi has refused to apologise for his comment and has vowed to continue to fight. The manner in which opposition leaders are being systematically targeted using various agencies is a matter of serious concern. The democratic norms are being blatantly violated on a daily basis by the ruling dispensation. BJP leaders, right from the top leadership, have themselves repeatedly indulged in insulting opposition leaders, in particular Rahul Gandhi and his family members. But no action has ever been initiated against them.