NEW DELHI, 27 Mar: Upping the ante over Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha, the Congress will hold press conferences in 35 cities over the next two days on ‘Democracy Dis’Qualified’ while also highlighting other issues such as the Adani matter and the alleged “clean chit” to fugitives.
Gandhi was on Thursday sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his “why all thieves have Modi surname” remark. He was subsequently disqualified from the Lok Sabha.
“Senior Congress leaders will address press conferences in 35 cities on 28 and 29 March on ‘Democracy Dis’Qualified’,” Congress general secretary (i/c communications) Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter.
“Among other issues, the reality of Modani and the Modi government’s clean chit to Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi will also be highlighted,” Ramesh said.
On 28 March, there will be press conferences in four cities – Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Lucknow (UP); Ajay Maken in Jammu (J&K); Ashok Chavan in Hyderabad (Telangana); and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu in Chandigarh.
On 29 March, there will be press conferences in 31 cities.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will address a presser in Ahmedabad, Anand Sharma in Bengaluru, Supriya Shrinate in Chandigarh, Shaktisinh Gohil in Shimla, Manish Tewari in Thiruvananthapuram, Kanhaiya Kumar in Surat, Gourav Vallabh in Varanasi, Pawan Khera in Mumbai, and Salman Khurshid in Srinagar, among other places.
Attacking the BJP over Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha, Congress leaders and workers had held protests across the country on Sunday, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accusing the government of “trying to silence” a “martyr’s son” for raising the voice of people.
The Congress, along with other opposition parties, is also demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Adani issue. (PTI)