'Gujarat leaders tried to convince Rahul to apologize before court convicted him, but he refused'
A senior Congres leader claimed that leaders in the Gujarat unit tried to persuade Rahul to apologize before the court convicted him for two years. But Rahul declined to pay heed.
Published: 24th March 2023 07:10 PM | Last Updated: 24th March 2023 08:35 PM | A+A A-
Youth Congress workers holding a demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan in solidarity with Rahul Gandhi after a Gujarat court sentenced the Congress leader. (Photo |B P Deepu, EPS)
AHMEDABAD: Before the Surat court convicted him, Rahul Gandhi got advise from senior leaders to apologize for his remarks but he declined to do so.
The court convicted Rahul for his "all thieves have Modi as the common surname" remark made in Karnataka's Kolar district ahead of the 2019 national election. As a sequel, Rahul was on Friday disqualified as Lok Sabha MP.
A senior Congres leader claimed that leaders in the Gujarat unit tried to persuade Rahul to apologize before the court convicted him for two years. But Rahul declined to pay heed.
Rahul Gandhi was firm in his stand. He responded, "I am not going to apologize, I have done nothing wrong, and I am ready for whatever punishment the court imposed."
The Congress president of Surat and Rahul Gandhi's bail guarantor, Hasmukh Desai told The New Indian Express, "When Rahul Gandhi was on his way to the court from the airport, senior lawyers tried to convince him that these are not serious crimes and that if he apologized to the court, the court might forgive him and there would be no punishment, but Rahul Gandhi flatly refused to say, Sorry,”
Hasmukh Desai claims that after the lawyers failed to persuade Rahul Gandhi, some leaders tried to persuade him outside of court.
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Desai said, “Later, when Rahul arrived at the court, some senior Congress leaders persuaded him to apologize, saying that there is government machinery behind him to defame him, and those people are attempting to cancel his MP post.”
“It is necessary for you to be in parliament," they explained. But Rahul Gandhi stuck to his stand.
Hasmukh Desai asserts that the worry expressed by senior Congress officials yesterday has come true today. The court has given the 30 days to file an appeal against the ruling, but the BJP government revoked Rahul Gandhi's membership in the Lok Sabha by misusing power.
It's important to note that Rahul Gandhi's bail on an Rs. 15,000 bond is being guaranteed by Hasmukh Desai, the president of the Surat Congress.
