Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's disqualification is "an attack on progressive democratic forces", Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Friday, demanding the revocation of the action against the Wayanad MP.
"This intimidating tone of action appears to send a message across that even the leader of the national political party and MP does not have the democratic right to express his opinion."
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's disqualification is "an attack on progressive democratic forces", Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Friday, demanding the revocation of the action against the Wayanad MP.
Reacting strongly to the Lok Sabha action of disqualifying the former Congress president over his conviction by a Surat court in a criminal defamation case, Stalin said, "I strongly condemn the fascist action of disqualifying the young leader of India, Rahul Gandhi, from the post of Member of Parliament.
"This intimidating tone of action appears to send a message across that even the leader of the national political party and MP does not have the democratic right to express his opinion."
In a statement here, the DMK president said that it was the fundamental right of anyone who is convicted to appeal against the verdict, and that the judge had pointed this out in his judgment and given 30 days' time for the Congress leader to respond.
"Disqualification of Rahul Gandhi by then (before the 30-day period ends) is a deprivation of the democratic right of a MP. The Supreme Court has not upheld the 2-year imprisonment. The district Court has given only the verdict and there's an appeal in the High Court. The Supreme Court has to deliver the final verdict," he said.
On Thursday, the local court in Gujarat's Surat sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail for criminal defamation over his "Modi surname" remark in the 2019 general election campaign in Karnataka, in a case filed against him by BJP legislator and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi.
The Congress leader was granted bail and given a month's time to respond.
Stalin said the action against Rahul Gandhi showed "the extent to which the BJP leadership is scared of Rahul Gandhi".
"This is due to the huge impact Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra created among the people. The Centre is unable to reply to the issues raised by Gandhi in Parliament. They disqualified him fearing that his continued presence in Parliament would cause a political crisis for the BJP," Stalin claimed.
Through the action, the BJP had lost the right to utter the word democracy, he said, adding that it was not befitting of the Central government to remain silent on questions raised in Parliament.
"I request that the action on Rahul Gandhi be revoked. I request all Indian political parties to realise that the action against Rahul Gandhi is an attack on progressive democratic forces, and oppose it in unison," Stalin appealed.
His son and State Youth Welfare and Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said in a tweet: "I strongly condemn the mischievous move to disqualify our brother @RahulGandhi from the MP post. It was propelled by a BJP MLA who filed a defamation case against Mr Gandhi for his 2019 election speech. Such intimidations will not restrain us from fighting the fascist BJP."
DMK deputy general secretary and MP Kanimozhi tweeted: "Disqualification of Mr @RahulGandhi from the Lok Sabha is a vengeful action with which they want to silence the opposition. Our voices will only become louder, and our bond against forces that disrespect the tenets of democracy will only become stronger. We stand with him."
Condemning the disqualification of his party leader, TNCC chief K S Alagiri appealed to his party members to gear up to make a sacrifice for Rahul Gandhi by defeating the designs of the BJP.
"Party president Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to announce a nationwide protest against the disqualification and I appeal to Congress party members to come together and participate in the protest. The Congress will definitely win the fight against the dictatorial rule to prove that dharma will win," Alagiri said.
CPI State Secretary R Mutharasan denounced the action against Gandhi and said it was akin to fascist rule. "It is a repressive action indicating that no one in the country should criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said, condemning the BJP government at the Centre "for the murder of democracy."
Also, it was also intended to divert the attention of the people from the BBC documentary on Modi and the Hindenburg report on Adani, Mutharasan claimed.
Alleging that the BJP through such an action aimed to seek political mileage in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, CPI (M) State Secretary K Balakrishnan appealed to all democratic forces to raise their voices strongly against this retaliatory action of the Modi government. He urged the Centre to revoke the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi.
MDMK chief Vaiko, an ally of the ruling DMK, described the disqualification as a blatant murder of democracy.
Contending that there is no separate law in India for Rahul Gandhi, BJP State chief K Annamalai said the law is the same for everyone. When asked about the disqualification of the Congress MP, he told reporters in Thoothukudi that in Tamil Nadu, people who criticise the State government, those who post memes and cartoons against it, are arrested by the police in the name of law.
"That being the case, does it not apply to Rahul Gandhi? He does not have a separate law in India... democracy is for everyone, including Rahul Gandhi," Annamalai said.
-With PTI Input