KOTTAYAM: In a direct attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the alleged attempt to target Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge said Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha was the darkest chapter in the history of Indian democracy. He was inaugurating the centenary celebrations of Vaikom Satyagraha being organised by KPCC at Vaikom in Kottayam on Thursday.
Kharge said Congress’ legal team will deal with legal issues in the trial court’s judgment at an appropriate forum. Rahul Gandhi was being attacked for exposing the nexus between the prime minister and businessman Gautam Adani.
“It was after Rahul Gandhi pointed out the Modi-Adani nexus in Lok Sabha on February 7, 2023, that the defamation case in connection with his Kolar speech was expedited by the complainant and the court convicted him on March 23. We must look at the lightning speed at which Gandhi was disqualified and asked to vacate his official residence. Such actions are indeed condemnable. They destroy the democratic norms of our country and push us towards a dictatorial regime,” Kharge said.
Kharge also criticised BJP’s alleged attempt to portray Gandhi’s speech as an insult to OBC communities.
“The case was filed by an individual who himself is not an OBC. All the absconders who were named- Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Mehul Choksi, do not belong to OBC. But the BJP is trying to build up false propaganda of ‘so-called’ insult to the OBCs. All these are being done to distract public attention from the real issue of BJP’s corruption and loot of public money,” he said.
Kharge added that the hurry in disqualifying Gandhi despite the court giving him a month to file an appeal reflected the ‘brutal vindictiveness of Modi.’ Coming down on the Modi-Adani nexus, Kharge said the Modi government’s move to facilitate loans from public sector banks to Adani Group to take over PSUs was a dangerous trend.
“PSUs employ millions of people including SCs, STs and OBCs. By selling all PSUs, the Modi Government is taking away all assured jobs and the right of reservation of SC, ST and OBC and worsening the employment crisis in the country,” he said.
“A nation that was built with the sweat and blood of lakhs of martyrs and freedom fighters is slowly witnessing onslaughts by a dictatorial regime. All our independent institutions are being undermined,” he said.
Kharge also criticised the govt for not constituting a joint parliamentary committee to probe into the Modi-Adani nexus as demanded by the Opposition parties. “If the JPC is constituted, all relevant evidence and documents will have to be presented before it. Ministries, investigating agencies, and company officials will be summoned before it, which forced Modi to keep away from setting up a JPC,” he said.
Commenting on Vaikom Satyagraha, Kharge said that it had a special significance in India’s centuries-long struggle against caste discrimination as also Indian National Congress’ relentless strife for achieving Independence. “The Vaikom Satyagraha has the unique distinction of being one of the most powerful, potent and earliest mass movements against the social evil of caste discrimination,” he said.