The BJP on Sunday tore into the Congress over its ‘Sankalp Satyagraha’ calling the protest programme an “insult to Mahatma Gandhi” who undertook a Satyagraha for social causes while the grand old party was doing it for “personal reasons.”

Speaking to reporters at a presser, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi lambasted the Congress over its “so-called Satyagraha”, while accusing the opposition party of protesting against the nation’s Constitution and the court’s verdict against Rahul Gandhi to justify his remarks against India’s “entire backward community.”

Trivedi dubbed the Congress satyagraha as a “brazen” display of arrogance after Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a defamation case by a Gujarat court which “automatically” disqualifies him as a member of the parliament.

The BJP leader asked why the Congress was holding a Satyagraha when Gandhi was convicted by a court after the due legal process and his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP was an automatic consequence under the prevailing law.

He further asked the Congress to clarify if the protest was to “justify insulting the entire backward community of the country” or against the court for the sentence of against the law under which Gandhi was disqualified.

The saffron party leader alleged that some Congress leaders participating in the Satyagraha are involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He asked if their Satyagraha organised at Mahatma Gandhi’s Samadhi Sthal in Rajghat was also against ‘Ahimsa’ (non-violence).

Congress today staged a nationwide “Sankalp Satyagraha” in support of former party President Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha following his conviction and two-year prison sentence by a court in Gujarat’s Surat city in a 2019 criminal defamation case.

Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on Friday, a day after a Surat court convicted him in a 2019 defamation case and sentenced him to a two-year jail term. The disqualification will prevent 52-year-old Gandhi, a four-time MP, from contesting elections for eight years unless a higher court stays the conviction.

The Congress on Sunday is observing a day-long Satyagraha from 10 am to 5 pm protesting against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha. The Satyagraha is scheduled to be observed in front of statues of Mahatma Gandhi across all states and district headquarters.

The Sankalp Satyagraha will be attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Varda.

Early reports said Delhi Police have denied permission to the Congress to carry out a protest at Rajghat citing the management of traffic as the reason. Section 144 of CrPc has also been imposed in the area. Rapid Action Force, CRP and Delhi police personnel have been deployed in large numbers around Raj Ghat in the national capital.

Congress MP KC Venugopal reacted to it in a tweet and wrote that the government refused to let the party hold a peaceful Satyagraha as well after silencing the Congress in Parliament. He further wrote this has become a habit for the Modi government to disallow every opposition protest.

Have a look at the tweet:

Former Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday conducted a press conference and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Gautam Adani row. Addressing to media, Gandhi said he is not afraid of any disqualification and will continue to fight for the democracy of India.

He further questioned the relationship between PM Modi and Gautam Adani over the picture of the duo that went viral earlier.

Gandhi was sentenced to 2 years in jail by a Surat court in a defamation case over the Modi surname remark. However, the court also suspended his arrest for 30 days and granted him bail in a bail bond of Rs 10,000.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday spoke to the media for the first time after his expulsion from the lower house. Gandhi in the press conference said that his job is to defend the democracy in the country and further added that he will continue to raise questions about the PM-Adani relationship.

The former Congress MP also added that he won’t be scared of PM Modi as he is fighting for democracy.

The press conference by Rahul Gandhi comes after his expulsion from the lower house. The Congress leader lost his Lok Sabha membership after a court in Gujarat convicted him for 2 years in a defamation case over his statement about Modi’s surname on March 22.

As per the reports, the Court granted the Congress leader bail with a bail bond of Rs 10,000 and suspended the 2-year jail term.

After Rahul Gandhi’s press conference, various leaders from the BJP’s top brass came forward to slam the Congress leader. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad addressed a press conference and accused Gandhi of making false statements and dissuading from the subject.

He also highlighted that the Congress leader was convicted for his speech delivered in 2019. Prasad further highlighted that the Congress leader himself said that he speaks thoughtfully and further implied whatever Gandhi said and was convicted of in 2019, it was spoken thoughtfully.

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also chimed in and slammed Rahul Gandhi. The Union Minister spoke to the media and said that Rahul Gandhi is able to speak because there is democracy in this country.

He further said that Gandhi is the one speaking the most against PM Modi and countered his claims where Gandhi said that his voice is being strangled.

In the backdrop of the showdown between BJP and Rahul Gandhi, Congress party workers took to the streets in West Bengal to demonstrate against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the lower house.