Members of India's main opposition Congress party held protests in some parts of the country on Friday against leader Rahul Gandhi's conviction for defamation, a day after a magistrate's court sentenced Gandhi to a two-year jail term, reports Reuters.
Congress party officials have described the judgement as politically motivated and blamed the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"The BJP is fearful about the rise of Rahul Gandhi and he poses a direct threat to the Modi government," said Pradip Bhattacharya, a Congress party lawmaker from West Bengal state.
BJP president JP Nadda dismissed the charges, adding that Gandhi had insulted a section of Indians who happen to share the same surname as Prime Minister Modi.
"It is one thing to question the government regarding the policies, that would be considered a healthy debate, but clearly the Congress has never followed such rules," he told Reuters.
Law Minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters outside parliament that the law was very clear and as of now Gandhi stands to lose his membership following the court judgement.
Gandhi's supporters held protests outside Congress party offices and in public spaces in northern Jammu city and in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat states, witnesses and news reports said.
Gandhi, 52, was found guilty for a 2019 speech in which he referred to thieves as having the surname Modi. He made the comment while campaigning ahead of the last general election to debunk the prime minister's economic policies.
Gandhi was convicted by a court in the western state of Gujarat, which also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for one month.
That gives Gandhi time to appeal but he faces immediate disqualification from parliament following the conviction.
Two senior Congress leaders told Reuters that Gandhi will respect the local court's verdict and will not attend parliament.
"It is a fact that his membership stands disqualified for now but we will challenge the conviction in the court to ensure he can attend parliament proceedings," said a federal lawmaker who is also a Congress leader.
Officials in the Congress party said they are also depending on regional opposition parties to galvanise political support against the verdict.
"It is a critical political test for Gandhi and we are depending on regional parties to support the Congress and stand against Modi's party," said a second senior Congress leader on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the press.
Gandhi has already received support from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that rules Delhi and two of whose top leaders are in jail on what they call trumped-up charges.
"We have differences with the Congress, but it is not right to implicate Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case like this. It is the job of the public and the opposition to ask questions. We respect the court but disagree with the decision," AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
Members of 12 opposition parties met Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday but it was not clear if they would all align in protesting against the court verdict.
The office of India's president confirmed that Congress leaders have sought a meeting with President Draupadi Murmu to lodge a protest against the conviction with the top constitutional executive.
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