'Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi not OBCs': Shashi Tharoor on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as MP

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor today slammed Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha after his conviction in a criminal defamation case filed by a BJP leader in Gujarat.

The former Wayanad MP was disqualified as Lok Sabha MP after a court in Surat sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in a defamation case on Thursday. The defamation case was filed on a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for Rahul Gandhi's alleged remark, "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?"

Following his disqualification, Rahul Gandhi would not be able to contest elections for eight years unless a higher court upholds his conviction and sentence.

Tharoor told NDTV that Gandhi never intentionally disrespected PM Modi as he never suggested that "everyone with the Modi surname are thieves."

"Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi are not Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The conviction (of Gandhi) has very little backing. Look at the campaign speeches of very senior ministers, even the Prime Minister," Tharoor told the news channel.

"We have seen Kejriwal in Delhi, Mamata Banerjee in Bengal, K Chandrasekhar Rao in Hyderabad. These are not figures that in the past had associated in any way with the Congress," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview.

Besides Tharoor, several other politicians have criticised the disqualification of Gandhi. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Mamata Banerjee had slammed the BJP-led government for such action, calling it a dark day for democracy. "We have differences with the Congress, but it is not right to implicate Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case like this," tweeted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Tharoor also objected to the punishment, which was the maximum allowed under the indictment. He said that the case against Gandhi was weak. "We have good lawyers and the complainant has a very weak case," he added. "The actual statement lends itself to a more innocent interpretation... and a fourth Modi, Purnesh Modi, cannot demonstrate that he was targeted in any shape or form," Tharoor said.

Meanwhile, the Congress began a day-long "Sankalp Satyagraha" at Delhi's Rajghat in support of Rahul Gandhi following his disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, senior leaders KC Venugopal, P Chidambaram and Salman Khurshid were among the party's top brass taking part in the satyagraha at Rajghat. Jairam Ramesh, Mukul Wasnik, Pawan Kumar Bansal, Saktisinh Gohil, Jothimani, Pratibha Singh and Manish Chatrath were also present at the protest site.

Also Read: 'Dis'Qualified MP': Rahul Gandhi updates Twitter bio after conviction in 'Modi surname' case