HYDERABAD: Describing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha as a tactic by the BJP to divert the attention of the public from serious issues, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Tuesday reminded that the disqualified MP has been speaking on people’s issues such as inflation, unemployment, religious polarisation, and capture of institutions to benefit Adani and other crony capitalists.
“Rahul wanted to speak on foreign direct investments to the tune of Rs 23,000 crore. Whose money was it? Rahul wanted to raise these issues in Lok Sabha, and BJP doesn’t want the PM to be embarrassed in Parliament. This was why they disqualified him,” Chavan said.
He was addressing a press conference on “Democracy Dis’Qualified” in Hyderabad along with AICC Telangana in-charge Manikrao Thakre, and other senior TPCC leaders as part of the party’s nationwide campaign against Rahul’s disqualification.
Citing BJP stalwart and late leader Arun Jaitley, Chavan said that it was the duty of the ruling party to ensure Parliament functions properly.
Raising concerns over the continuation of legislation on the criminalisation of defamation, he said that countries like Sri Lanka have decriminalised defamation. He also found it objectionable for awarding the maximum punishment of two years imprisonment to Rahul Gandhi, while serious crimes were disposed of with simple imprisonment.