One sometimes gets the impression that Rahul Gandhi was the last remaining oppositionist in India. The only one still facing head-to-head with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party associates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). So was Gandhi sentenced to two years in prison on Thursday in Surat, a city in Modi’s home state? A local BJP MP complained. On Friday, India’s parliament decided, by law, that Gandhi would no longer be allowed to serve as a member of the lower house.
Rahul Gandhi is the great-grandson of state founder Jawaharlal Nehru, grandson of Indira Gandhi and son of Rajiv Gandhi. So he stepped down from the line of prime ministers of India. But his party, the venerable National Congress founded by his grandfather, which led India to independence from British colonialism in 1947, is but a shadow of himself. The Congress party ruled for decades with interruptions of several years, but in the 2014 and 2019 general elections the BJP defeated them very clearly. And in next year’s elections, the results could be even clearer.
The verdict seems very harsh
Narendra Modi, in office since 2014, remains India’s most popular politician by far. Despite the massive farmers’ protests that paralyzed Delhi two years ago, even though he is silent as millions of Indians have died during the pandemic. Despite the alleged spat with Gautam Adani, his former richest compatriot, whose company has lost an unimaginable amount of US$120 billion on the stock exchange in recent months after accusations of manipulation. And, of course, even though criticism of the government is certainly anti-Muslim. But the economy is growing, and with it India’s confidence.
Rahul Gandhi had little choice but to annoy Modi in the Lok Sabha, the first chamber of the Indian parliament. In recent weeks, he has done so primarily because of his close relationship with Adani, who is also from the state of Gujarat. But soon Gandhi may not be like that anymore, because the Representatives Act of 1951, which governs elections in India, provides for the disqualification of politicians who have been sentenced to at least two years in prison for crimes.
Against the backdrop of this law, the disproportionately harsh condemnation of Gandhi seems stranger than ever. Two years in prison for a speech he gave during the 2019 election campaign? In which he talks about the fact that there are more and more thieves in the country bearing Modi’s name. Apart from the prime minister, Gandhi referred to two fugitive businessmen also surnamed Modi. He was present when the verdict was read on Thursday and appealed. Enforcement was suspended for a month.
“A conspiracy was hatched.”
Abhishek Singhvi, a spokesman for the Congress Party and a lawyer, told a press conference afterwards: “Any system that is reasonable, fair, non-repressive and unbiased will give a person enough time to take legal action to defend the sentence.” Gandhi is also out on bail in a money laundering case that has weathered India’s tough legal system for more than a decade. Two defamation lawsuits were filed against him in other states. Mallikarjun Kharge, President of the Congress Party, accused the BJP of “political bankruptcy” on Twitter. “We will appeal to a higher court.”
Gandhi also had the backing of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which governs Delhi and two top politicians were also jailed on charges. “A conspiracy is being concocted to obliterate non-BJP leaders and parties by prosecuting them,” wrote AAP Chief and Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal on Twitter.
