Surat/IBNS: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was on Thursday convicted by a court in Gujarat’s Surat city in a criminal defamation case over his past remark referring to the surname Modi, media reports said.
Later, the Congress leader got bail.
He was convicted under the IPC Section 504.
Rahul could end up facing a maximum punishment of imprisonment for two years.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign, Rahul had said, “How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname.”
A complaint, which was lodged by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Purnesh Modi, had claimed Rahul had defamed the entire Modi community.
Slamming Rahul after the conviction, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya tweeted, “Court convicts Rahul Gandhi for his casteist and defamatory comment, targeting a section of the society. He is flippant and dangerous, who has no compunction deriding India and Indians. He had recently pleaded for Europe and US intervention in India’s internal affairs… Shameful.”
Backing her politician brother Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted, “The whole machinery of the power is trying to suppress the voice of @RahulGandhi ji by all means. My brothers have never been afraid nor will ever be. He has lived speaking the truth, and will continue to speak the truth and raise the voice of the people of the country. The power of truth and the love of crores of countrymen are with him.”
