New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday visited Parliament and held a meeting with Congress MPs at the Congress Parliamentary Office in Parliament a day after the Lok Sabha MP was convicted in the defamation case by the Surat Court in the 'Modi surname' case. Rahul Gandhi attended a meeting of party MPs before the start of the House proceedings. Party chief and LoP in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were also present at the meeting. The party will also stage a protest march from Parliament House to Vijay Chowk after the meeting. There is speculation that Rahul Gandhi will be disqualified as Lok Sabha MP, after his conviction in the criminal defamation case by the Gujarat court.
As soon as the proceeding of the Parliament began, the House was adjourned amid ruckus over various issues and Rahul Gandhi left Parliament soon after that. Notably, Gandhi can escape immediate disqualification as a member of parliament if the appellate court suspends the conviction as well as the two-year jail term.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said "We will hold protests across Delhi and in other states on Monday on this issue. The matter is just not a legal issue, but also a serious political issue linked with the future of democracy in the country." He further said that the Opposition parties have also sought time from President Droupadi Murmu on Friday afternoon to raise the matter with her. Meanwhile, the grand old party had also decided to hold protests across Delhi and other states on Monday (March 27) over the Surat court's 'erroneous' judgment against the Wayanad MP.