The World Briefly
March 27, 2023The Name Game
India
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India’s parliament expelled opposition leader Rahul Gandhi from the legislature over the weekend, after a court convicted and sentenced him to two years in prison in a case linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s last name, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The case against Gandhi stems from remarks he made on the campaign trail in 2019, in which he referred to “thieves” having the surname Modi. The individuals the speech went on to include were fugitive diamond tycoon, Nirav Modi, the disgraced former chief of the Indian Premier League, Lalit Modi, and the prime minister himself.
The prime minister is not related to the two other individuals, according to the Associated Press.
But a lawmaker from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) complained that Gandhi’s comments had defamed everyone with the Modi surname.
In its ruling, the court found that the opposition leader had been previously warned by India’s Supreme Court to be careful in his statements. Gandhi’s supporters countered that the comments were made to highlight the issue of corruption in India.
Gandhi plans to appeal the verdict.
Under parliamentary rules, a legislator forfeits their seat if convicted of a crime and sentenced to two or more years in prison.
The decision will prevent Gandhi from running for office for six years unless a higher court overturns the verdict or reduces his sentence to less than two years.
Gandhi’s opposition Congress party criticized the move as an attempt by the Modi administration to stifle criticism. Political analysts noted that the disqualification leaves the BJP open to accusations that it is trying to suppress anti-government voices ahead of next year’s elections.
Meanwhile, the BJP is under pressure from the opposition to probe allegations of stock-price manipulation and fraud involving the Adani Group, which had collaborated extensively with the government on modernizing airports, ports, and other infrastructure.
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