Why no eminent lawyer of the Congress came to the aid of Rahul Gandhi when he was convicted in a defamation case leading to his disqualification from Parliament, Union Minister Anurag Thakur asked on Tuesday and wondered if it was deliberate and part of a conspiracy within the party.
Thakur, addressing the ‘Times Network India Digital Fest’, also described Gandhi as a “loose cannon” and a “serial offender” who has seven cases of defamation in various courts even after being cautioned by the apex court.
The Information and Broadcasting Minister made it clear that neither the government nor the Lok Sabha secretariat had any role to play in the former Congress president’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha.
Thakur said that according to the Representation of the People Act, Rahul Gandhi stood disqualified the moment he was sentenced to a two-year jail term in a criminal defamation case.
The senior BJP leader wondered why none of the eminent lawyers sent by the Congress to the Rajya Sabha could be of any help in the defamation case against Gandhi.
“Was it deliberate? Is there a conspiracy within the Congress? It is surprising that an entire battery of lawyers came to the rescue of Pawan Khera within an hour. Why did the Congress leader not move court in support of Rahul Gandhi? This is a big question,” Thakur said.
“Who are these persons who hatched the conspiracy against Rahul Gandhi,” the Union minister asked.
Thakur said that even after issuing a written apology to the Supreme Court, Gandhi continued to make defamatory remarks against communities, people and organisations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
He also slammed Gandhi for speaking harshly to a journalist during a press conference on Saturday.
Thakur dismissed suggestions that the BJP was over-obsessed with Gandhi and said it was the Congress that has been unable to come out of the influence of the Gandhi family.
With inputs from News18
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